Milder, Rainy Weekend Ahead, Before 50s On Monday

ILLINOIS — Milder temperatures will return again this weekend, with a high of 39 on Saturday and a high of 45 on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Earlier in the day on Saturday will be dry, but rain is expected late Saturday into Saturday night, and again late Sunday into night into Monday, the weather service said.

Saturday will also be windy, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

After the weekend, the week ahead looks mostly dry, and temperatures will start to turn colder again late in the week. Monday will be the warmest day of the week, with a high of 55, Tuesday will have a high of 41, Wednesday a high of 39, and Thursday a high of 31.

Also, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service has released its 8-14 day outlook, which includes Christmas Day, and the chances for a white Christmas in Illinois are looking pretty slim.

According to the weather service, Chicago has a White Christmas about 41 percent of the time, which is defined by at least one inch of snow on the ground. The snowiest Christmas was back in 1950, when it snowed 5.1 inches on Christmas Day.