It may look like the holiday season in the Chicago area, but it isn't starting to feel like it just yet as sunshine and above-average temperatures are set to round out the work week.
Although Thursday started out chilly, the day is expected to be sunny, breezy and unseasonably warm, with a high of 52 degrees in the city, the NBC 5 Storm Team said. That's about 13 degrees above the average for this time of year, according to NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman.
Friday is expected to be even warmer, Roman added, with a high temperature of 57 degrees in Chicago. Some parts could hit close to 60 degrees by afternoon as clouds roll in Roman said.
Thursday and Friday are expected to be dry, but a system moving in late Friday night is expected to bring widespread showers, Roman said.
Those showers are expected to continue overnight and into Saturday morning and even early afternoon, Roman added, noting that precipitation will stay in the form of rain as "temperatures will be warm enough to support it."
By 1 p.m. Saturday, the wet weather is expected to move out. And overnight, the warmer temperatures are expected to move out as well.
According to Roman, a nearly 20-degree temperature drop will arrive Sunday, as colder air with highs in the 30s -- and morning wind chill values in the 20s -- are set to move in.
Local
Additionally, a quick-moving disturbance late Saturday night bringing a rain-snow mix to the north could result in a sprinkle or flurries across Illinois' far northern counties.
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Early next week, those chillier temperatures are expected to remain, with highs in the upper 30s to low 40s, Roman said.
Will December be warmer than average?
2023 is shaping up to the hottest year on record, NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said. And locally, the Chicago area this year has seen above average temperatures every month. In January, temperatures were more than eight degrees above average, and February was more than six degrees above average.
November this year was more than 2.5 degrees above average, Jeanes said.
What will happen for the rest of December remains to be seen. However, recent forecast models show a dry, more mild pattern for the Chicago area.
