Forecast: High heat and hazy skies to start the week

It was a chilly start as June began for some areas in Chicagoland, with temperatures as low as the upper 30s during Sunday’s sunrise.

But that changed quickly.

We saw plenty of sun Sunday, though it was a bit hazy due to the Canadian wildfire smoke that’s being blown into our area by northerly winds.

Those winds gradually shifted to southeast, however, so temps reached the low 70s inland by Sunday afternoon, though it was closer to the mid-60s at the lakefront.

By Monday, winds will be out of the southwest and gusty, which will send temps into the mid-80s. Some areas of Chicagoland could then see temps close to 90 for what’s expected to be a hot, humid Tuesday (see more below).

Canadian wildfire smoke

There was no Air Quality Alert issued for the Chicagoland area as of late Sunday morning, which is good news, though skies could continue to be a bit hazy at times due to the Canadian wildfire smoke that’s been directed into the Chicago area since about Friday.

The NOAA-GOES-19 satellite image depicts the area of smoke in the lighter gray shading which nearly encompassed all of Minnesota and Iowa on Friday.

Dozens of large, out-of-control wildfires continue burning across Canada. They’re depicted on the map below, as of Friday.

   

The extended outlook calls for south/southwest winds to drive our temps to near 90 on a muggy Tuesday, with possible late-afternoon and evening showers or thunderstorms.

Wednesday then looks pretty soggy, with highs in the mid- to upper 60s and a chance of isolated thunderstorms. We dry out on Thursday and should see temps in the seasonal 70s by the afternoon.

Chicago forecast highs and departures from normal

We had a cool start to the weekend across the Chicago area, but it didn’t last long as temps rebounded quickly by later Sunday, with a return to summerlike warmth early next week.

Monday forecast highs

Monday departures from normal

Tuesday forecast highs

Tuesday departures from normal

Chicago precipitation chances

Dry weather takes hold for several days before the next chance of showers and thunderstorms arrives late Tuesday into Wednesday as a cold front slides through the area. 

The image below tracks the arrival of several weather systems and multiple chances for rain during the upcoming week.

QPF (Quantitative Precipitation Forecast) for the upcoming week

Some beneficial rainfall is possible for the Chicago area, with even heavier totals forecast across the south Central Plains. 

New Drought Monitor from USDA

A large portion of the Chicago metro area now sits in “moderate drought” conditions. The area of moderate drought statewide grew from just over 17% a week ago to nearly 23% in the latest outlook.  

Statewide precipitation update

May 2025 was quite dry for much of the state.

Many areas saw less than half of their normal rainfall, with 2-4-inch deficits for the month pretty common. 

June’s warming trend