January Weather: Colder Temps For Chicago Area, But Low Chance Of Snow

ILLINOIS — With a fairly mild December coming to an end, all eyes are turning to the forecast for January and wondering if a cold and snowy winter is on the horizon.

January is typically the coldest and snowiest month for Chicago, with an average snowfall of 11.3 inches for the month and an average temperature of 25.2 degrees, according to National Weather Service data.

The Climate Prediction Center has released its 8-14 day temperature and precipitation outlooks, which now gives us a look at what the first week of January will bring.

According to the outlook, the Chicago area may see a colder start to January. From Jan. 3 to Jan. 9, Chicago has a 40 to 50 percent chance of below normal temperatures.

However, snow-lovers may not like the precipitation outlook for Jan. 3 to Jan. 9, as it shows a below normal chance for precipitation for the entire state. The outlook shows a 33 to 40 percent chance of below normal precipitation.

Here's a look at the weather service's forecast as we end December and enter the first few days of a new year:

FRIDAY: Rain. Patchy fog after noon. High near 49. East southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Rain, mainly before midnight. Patchy fog before midnight. Low around 46. Southeast wind around 15 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

SATURDAY NIGHT: A 30 percent chance of rain after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Light and variable wind becoming north northeast 5 to 10 mph after midnight.

SUNDAY: Rain likely, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 46. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

SUNDAY NIGHT: A 20 percent chance of rain before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.

MONDAY: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.

MONDAY NIGHT: Rain likely, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

TUESDAY: Rain likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 41.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.

WEDNESDAY (New Year's Day): Partly sunny, with a high near 32.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny, with a high near 27.