Monday forecast: Warm day, with inland highs in low 80s, kicks off very warm May week in Chicagoland

Waiting for it to warm up around Chicagoland this spring?

Wait no longer, because warm air is here.

Monday kicks off a very warm May week around the area, with highs ranging from the mid- to upper 60s lakeside — cooler temperatures at the lake will be a theme for now — to the lower 80s at some inland locations.

Monday will get off to a clear and sunny start, but clouds will increase later before the chance for scattered showers and storms arrives Monday night into Tuesday.

Temps will cool a bit Tuesday, but inland highs will still be in the 70s, before things warm up again for the middle of the week, including a day where we may even get close to 90 in some locations (see more below).

Thursday looks to be the warmest day this week, when it could feel more like a July or August day than a mid-May day.

As of now, Thursday’s high temps are projected to soar to 87, which would be more than 15 degrees warmer than the average at O’Hare International Airport.

Temps then look to reach the low 80s again on Friday before cooling to more seasonal levels for the weekend. Again, however, it’ll remain cooler at the lakefront all week, but still very pleasant for this time of year.

8 p.m. sunset approaching

May’s warming trend