7:00 AM | Very mild today, but colder this weekend and Sunday will feature ice/snow before a changeover to rain
Paul Dorian
6-Day Forecast
Today
Mostly cloudy, mild, highs in the mid 60’s
Tonight
Mostly cloudy, cool, occasional showers, lows by morning in the low 50’s
Friday
Mostly cloudy, cooler, rain likely, highs in the lower 50’s during the morning hours and then temperatures drop in the afternoon
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, colder, rain likely, possibly mixing with sleet and/or snow in the northern and western suburbs before ending, low-to-mid 30’s
Saturday
Some sun followed by thickening clouds, cold, near 40
Sunday
Mostly cloudy, cold, ice, snow and/or rain, mid 30’s
Monday
Mostly cloudy, cold, rain likely, upper 40’s
Tuesday
Partly sunny, windy, cold, mid-to-upper 30’s
Discussion
Very cold air has gripped the nation from California to Texas to the Great Lakes, but here in the East, mild air has made a return. In fact, today will be the mildest day of the week, but this warm up will be rather short-lived. After a day with highs near 65 degrees, a strong cold front will slide through the region by early tomorrow and reverse our temperature trend. In fact, temperatures may peak in the morning on Friday and then drop slowly during the afternoon hours. This gradual transition from mild-to-cold will be accompanied by periods of rain from tonight into tomorrow night. It could get just cold enough by late tomorrow night for the rain to mix with or change to sleet and/or snow before ending in some of the northern and western suburbs.
After a dry Saturday afternoon and early evening, attention will turn to the Deep South as moisture will head our way from that part of the country at the same time strong Arctic high pressure settles in to our north. The end result could be an extended period of ice in this area as there will likely be below freezing temperatures at ground level, but above freezing in the upper parts of the atmosphere. The precipitation is likely to change to plain rain by Sunday night or early Monday and then we’ll be looking to our northwest for the arrival of another very cold Arctic air mass on Tuesday.