The week ahead: 18° above normal
It’s to be an up-and-down temperature pattern for the area in upcoming days, the complex result of frequent changes in air masses and mild winds from the south and southwest alternating with chilly gusts off the 33°waters of Lake Michigan. On balance, however, temperatures for several days will hover in mild territory. Even on temperature dips, daytime readings are expected to be 12-15° above normal.
Chicago’s normal daily high temperature now is 30º (and it holds at that level until a decline to 29º on Jan. 8), but the city’s actual highs are forecast to average in the upper 40s through the next six days—including two days in the 50s. Let’s put that into historic perspective: On average, Chicago’s temps climb to 50º or higher on only one day out of 19 during the last week of the year.