Monday forecast: Temps drop throughout the day in Chicagoland, rain/snow chances increase during the afternoon

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If winter has one last gasp in Chicagoland this year, it might be to start this week.

A blast of cold air will bring temperatures well below normal for this time of year, with temperatures rising to the low 40s through Monday morning then dropping into the 30s during the afternoon hours, as a north wind gusting up to 35 miles per hour takes over.

With that will come a rain/snow mix to Chicagoland on Monday. It could start in the late morning hours in far northern areas, with chances increasing throughout the area during the afternoon.

It will get colder as it gets later Monday, so the chance of rain turning to all snow will increase.

Flurries could linger overnight, then Tuesday is projected to be mainly dry and cold, with highs again topping out in the low 40s.

Temps will climb a little for the middle of the week, then they’ll rise back to more normal April levels by the end of the week into the weekend (see more below).

The blast of cold air that will cut down into Chicagoland to start the week will bring temps well below early April norms on Monday and Tuesday, as the maps below show:

To start April, normal highs for our area are in the mid-50s. They rise to the mid-60s by the end of April. So the start of this week will see highs about 10 to 15 degrees below normal.

Looking at the 7-day forecast, temps remain below normal all week, but they’ll rise back to more normal levels by the weekend, perhaps cracking 60 again on Sunday.