Sunday forecast: Sunshine and warmer temps for second part of Labor Day weekend

Chicagoland is in for a picture-perfect stretch of weather as we head into the Labor Day holiday, with ample sunshine and seasonable temperatures to mark the “unofficial” end of summer.

Temps will warm into the upper 70s inland on Sunday, while a lake breeze will keep things a bit cooler along the shoreline, with highs in the low to mid-70s.

Monday’s Labor Day holiday then looks to be seasonable, with conditions close to normal for early September and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Highs will get to about 80, though it’ll again be cooler along the lakefront.

But if you enjoyed the early taste of fall weather that we got in Chicagoland for the end of last week, you’re in luck, because another blast of fall-like air is expected for later in the upcoming work week (see more below).

Dry weather looks to continue into Tuesday and the first part of Wednesday, with Tuesday finally seeing highs temps near the early September average in the low 80s. Clouds are then projected to increase on Wednesday, with highs in the mid- to upper 70s.

Showers and thunderstorms are also possible later in the day Wednesday as a cold front moves across Chicagoland. That will usher in significantly cooler air for the end of the upcoming work week, with highs only in the mid-60s.

6-10-day forecast: Sept. 4-8

A strong cool signal is on tap, with much below normal temperatures locked into place across the Midwest and Great Lakes:

Forecast 850-millibar temperature animation: 1 mile above surface

This is a good proxy indicator of how temperatures will respond at the surface. The blue represents cooler than normal and the darker shading indicates an even larger deficit relative to normal:

You can see the magnitude of the cool air that arrives later next week into the following weekend. This will result in temperatures more typical of mid-October than early September.

The unseasonably chilly air arrives late this week.

Thursday highs

Thursday high: Departure from normal

Friday highs

Friday high: Departure from normal