Thanksgiving in the Chicago area will likely be quiet on the weather front, but cooler temperatures are definitely on the way this week.
Those readings will send temperatures to below-normal levels for this time of year, but will also be cooler than Thanksgivings of previous years.
Before we get to the comparison, we’ll stick with the Thursday forecast, which is calling for mostly cloudy skies and high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30s, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
While some lake-effect snow could develop, it is expected that winds off the lake will push that snow into parts of northern Indiana and especially into western Michigan, largely sparing the Chicago area from the brunt of any precipitation.
A passing cold front will drop temperatures behind it heading into the weekend, with highs in the upper-20s and lows in the teens through the end of the weekend, according to forecast models.
By this point in the year, the average high temperature in Chicago is in the low-40s, meaning that this weekend’s temperatures will be significantly lower than normal. That also goes for the low temperatures, which are in the upper-20s at this point in the calendar.
As for comparing this year’s Thanksgiving forecast to those of years past, we’ll see some similarities. According to National Weather Service data, the city of Chicago has only observed traces of snowfall eight times in the last 40 years on Thanksgiving, with only one measurable snowfall in that time, with 0.1 inches falling on Thanksgiving in 2007.
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At this point, it does not appear that Chicago will record snow on Thursday, with the last trace of Thanksgiving snowfall occurring in 2014.
With temperatures, the average high will vary since Thanksgiving occurs on different dates, but in the last 40 years, the average high temperature in Chicago on Thanksgiving has been 44 degrees, according to NWS data.
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Three different times during the last 40 years, the mercury has soared above 60 degrees, and the high temperature on Thanksgiving has fallen below freezing just twice, most recently in 2014.
For all the latest weather news and information, be sure to check in with the NBC 5 Storm Team throughout the week.
