Thursday forecast: Temps closer to seasonal levels as Chicagoland finally begins to warm up again

Finally, the unseasonably cool air that’s kept Chicagoland in a springtime chill lately is loosening its grip.

It may not quite warm to seasonal levels on Thursday, but it’ll at least be close, with high temperatures creeping into the lower 70s for the first time in nearly two weeks. It’ll still remain cooler along the lake, however, with high temps there closer to the mid-60s.

The air aloft is still fairly cool, though, and daytime heating is likely to help promote the chance for an isolated shower late in the afternoon for a few locations, amounting to about 20% of the metro area.   

Patchy morning fog will give way to occasional breaks in the cloud cover as we get into Thursday afternoon. There’s not likely to be much sunshine around Chicagoland, but it’ll be less overcast than it was Wednesday.

Temps will warm even more on Friday, with highs in the mid- to upper 70s in some locations, though the chance for showers and storms increases later Friday and into the overnight hours.

Temps are likely to dip a little for the coming weekend, though they’ll still at least be around seasonal levels. Then we’re looking at a real rise in the mercury for next week, with temps possibly soaring into the upper 80s in some locations (see more below).

Chicago forecast highs and departure from normal

The 60s that have been so prominent in recent days are soon to disappear, as a far warmer pattern takes hold. 

Forecast highs: Next 8 days

Summerlike 80s return to the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes as we move into the open of Meteorological Summer on June 1.

Forecast weather systems across the country over the coming 7 days

A definite overall drying trend is taking shape into early next week before the next storm system takes shape across the central U.S. 

7-Day Weather Prediction Center precipitation forecast

Little or no organized rain is expected across the Chicagoland area over the next week, with the heaviest totals expected across southern Florida.    

Forecast average temperature anomaly in 5-day intervals

May 28-June 1

Quite warm across the Western U.S., as the cooler-than-normal temperatures continue across the nation’s mid-section. 

June 2-6

Brief pattern reversal, as the warmth that has dominated the West slides east into the Great Lakes, bringing much warmer conditions than recent days. 

June 7-11

Cooler-than-normal pattern for the the southern Plains, near normal for the Great Lakes, and a new round of heat begins to take place across the Western U.S. 

June’s warming trend

Water temps on the rise

Lake Michigan water temps are on the rise as we approach summer, but they’re still very chilly.

Last weekend, we had our first 60-degree water temp along the Chicago shoreline so far this year. Since then, we’ve backed those temps off into the mid-50s.

The water is still dangerously cold. Water colder than 70 degrees can zap a swimmer’s energy very rapidly.