Sunday forecast: Sunny and warm as late-summer weather bathes Chicagoland on first weekend of fall

It may be the last Sunday of September and the first official weekend of fall, but Chicagoland continues to be bathed in late-summer weather.

Sunday will again bring clear, sunny skies across the area, making it a perfect day to get outside. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s, perhaps even reaching the mid-80s inland. Lakefront highs, meanwhile, will hold in the mid-70s as a northeasterly breeze locks in, keeping conditions comfortable.

Sunday will also bring somewhat hazy skies, with moderate air quality.

And while there may be some dips down to more seasonal temps, the warm air doesn’t look to be leaving Chicagoland anytime real soon (see more below).

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Current Conditions

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Next Few Hours

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Extended Outlook

The extended outlook calls for continued warm and sunny conditions on Monday, with highs in the mid- to even upper 80s inland and the 70s lakeside.

A dip in temps is expected for Tuesday and then the start of October on Wednesday, with highs dropping into the more seasonal 70s all the way through Thursday. Still, temps will be warmer than normal.

Then, they’re forecast to climb right back up for the end of the coming work week and into next weekend, with the early forecast showing highs soaring well into the 80s by Friday and Saturday.

Rainfall deficit

Unfortunately, there’s no rainfall in site in the near future for Chicagoland, at least for now.

We’re running a significant rainfall deficit, with the city receiving just about a half-inch of rain since the start of September. As you can see below, that’s around 2 inches or more below the usual amount so far for the month.

Not surprisingly, drought conditions continue to persist around Chicagoland:

Zero rainfall is in sight across a large portion of the Midwest for at least the next week, which will only exacerbate the current drought conditions in place:

Forecast maximum temperature anomaly: Sunday, Sept. 28 through Thurs., Oct. 2

Well above normal temperatures will be present throughout the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and even portions of the Northeast: 

Forecast 850-millibar (1 mile above the surface) temperature anomaly

This is a good proxy indicator of how temperatures will perform at the surface. The red and orange shading represents areas of above to much above normal, while blue shading depicts areas of cooler than normal. 

Above normal temperatures are in firm control for at least the next seven to eight days, with some minor cooling possible later next weekend, the first full weekend of October: 

6-10-day temperature outlook