Rain, 'Unseasonably Mild' Temps In 50s To Hit Chicago Area: IL Weather

ILLINOIS — A week after Chicago-area residents were bracing for blizzard-like conditions and sub-zero temperatures and wind chills, the final week of 2022 is bringing some welcome weather relief.

Starting on Wednesday, the National Weather Service is calling for an “unseasonably mild” weather pattern, as temperatures are expected to make their way to the mid-50s by Thursday. Just three days after Christmas Day temperatures struggled to make it barely into the double-digits, the region will see “much warmer” temperatures on Wednesday, when the area could see temperatures that reach the low 40s.

The mild air will stick around overnight, when temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-30s to lower 40s before temperatures warm into the 50s on Thursday. The AccuWeather forecast on Thursday calls for areas of fog around the region and breezy temperatures, with wind gusts building to 28 mph.

Forecasters are calling for a 40 percent chance of scattered showers in the evening hours, with low temperatures hovering around the 40-degree mark. There is a slight chance of periods of freezing rain coming on Friday night into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, as temperatures are expected to hover right around the freezing mark.

The mild air will stick around into the weekend, when temperatures are expected to stick around the 40-degree mark for Friday and Saturday before temperatures dip into the mid-40s on New Year’s Day.