Skilling: Possible showers, windy start to weekend for Chicagoland
It was Day #4 consecutively in Chicago at or above 60-deg. Today’s 66-deg high is the 3rd warmest Nov 16th high on the books going back all 153 years since 1871.
It was the warmest Nov 16th here in Chicago in nearly half a century—since a 67-deg high on this date back in 1975—-48 years ago!
The only warmer Nov 16’s have been 67 in 1975 and 70-deg in 1896. The places today in the 2% warmest Nov 16’s on the books since 1871 here.
A cold front passes overnight and ushers much cooler air into the area for daytime Friday. And while weekend temps will make it into the low and mid 50s, they’ll be markedly cooler than the comparatively “warmth” Chicagoans have experienced most of this work week.
Some cold frontal showers which are to develop over Illinois in the overnight hours past midnight may linger into the opening few hours of Friday. But clearing follows Friday and a beautiful sun-filled weekend is on the way but with cooler temps. While daytime highs will actually come in s which are the norms for this coming Saturday and Sunday, the weekend as a whole is to average 4-deg cooler than last.
A storm system which is to sweep ashore in California late Friday is to jump the Rockies and reorganize east of the Rockies in Colorado Sunday then make its move toward the Midwest early next week. It’s precipitation—a chilly rain—is due to reach Chicago Monday night and persist into Tuesday when it’s possible the system’s strong backside northerly winds may import enough cool air for the rain to mix with some snowflakes—especially north and west of the city—before ending.
the remainder of Thanksgiving week—but also for the weekend which follows and well into the following week. Daytime average temps will fall below normal Tuesday and continue below through the following weekend and into next week.
The coldest days appear likely to run from Thanksgiving (a week from today—NEXT THURSDAY), when highs may hold in the 30s for the only the second time this season and continue return to the 30s each day through next weekend and early the following weekend. Daytime temp departures are predicted to come in 9 to 11-deg below normal each day from next Thursday (THANKSGIVING day) through the weekend which follows.
Forecasts of a possible late week snow have diminished on the latest suite of computer models. But the European Centre’s ensemble model does show an inverted trough riding across the area Friday into Saturday of next week—something which will have to be monitored.
HERE’(11/16/2023)
: Cloudy and breezy with showers developing after midnight. Turning modestly cooler toward morning. Low 44—but upper 30s cooler inland areas to the west of Chicago.
: Clouds, some lingering showers at the open. But clearing, windy and noticeably cooler. Gusts topping 35 mph at times. Daytime temps fall into the mid 40s and hold around 46 during the day.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Clear and colder with diminishing winds. Low 28—with some low 20s inland.
SATURDAY and SUNDAY: Sunny days—only a few clouds, especially later Sunday. Cooler than most recent days this week—but still modestly above normal for the season. High Saturday 54. Sunday’s high 56.
: Clouding over and windy. Gusts build to 30 mph. Some rain possible by late in the day—but becoming likely at night. High Monday 50.
: A chilly rain, windy and colder. Some mixed snow can’t be ruled out before the day is out—especially west and northwest sections. High 42.
WEDNESDAY and THANKSGIVING DAY (THURSDAY): Partly sunny, fairly windy and colder. Some lake effect snow showers possible across the lake—but not in Chicago. High Wednesday 40. Thursday’s Thanksgiving high 34.
