Sunday forecast: Pleasant and sunny fall day around Chicagoland, cooler temps near the lake

Clear skies and plenty of sunshine are expected Sunday, bringing a pleasant fall day across Chicagoland.

Temperatures will be cooler along the lakefront, with highs reaching the mid-60s, while inland areas warm into the low to mid-70s.

Bank of America Chicago Marathon forecast

Runners will have ideal conditions for the 47th running of the marathon, which goes off from Grant Park on Sunday morning.

Clear skies and temps in the lower 50s were in place for the start of the race, with temps warming into the mid-60s, with light east/southeast winds, by the race’s completion. 

Much cooler weekend

When averaging the daytime highs and overnight lows, this weekend comes in more than 17 degrees cooler than last weekend. Despite the drop, the current pattern is much more typical for early to mid-October.

And we’re still expecting warmer than normal temps around Chicagoland for the near future (see more below).

The work week begins Monday with a mixture of sun and clouds and above-average temps, with highs in the low 70s.

The extended outlook calls for increasing clouds on Tuesday, with a chance of late-day showers and a high near 70. Wednesday brings another chance of showers, mostly in the morning, along with breezy conditions and chillier temps in the low 60s.

Clouds and sun are in the forecast for Thursday, with highs in the mid- to upper 60s, then it’s back to the mid-70s getting into the end of the work week and into next weekend.

The warmer temps, however, will come with rain at times, which is much-needed around Chicagoland.

Chicago forecast highs and departure from normal

Partly cloudy skies are forecast for most of the week ahead. The coolest day looks like Wednesday, with a high of 62.

6-10-day temperature outlook

Temps above average are forecast to continue around Chicagoland through the middle part of October, as cooler air looks to remain off to the west for the time being.

High temperatures: Next 9 days (blend of models)

Expect a brief shot of cooler air for the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast by the middle of next week, but warmth returns following a brief downturn in temps. It’s a very progressive pattern. 

Forecast average temperature anomaly: Oct. 10-16

Cooler air across the eastern U.S. and Mid-Atlantic, plus California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Well above normal across the southern Plains.  

Forecast average temperature anomaly: Oct. 17-23

Significant warmth relative to normal across Texas and the central U.S., while it remains unusually cool across the western U.S., including California. 

A strong coastal low forecast will affect the U.S. East Coast into early next week. Coastal flooding, gusty winds and heavy rain are expected for some locations.  

Peak wind gust potential

Wind gusts of 40 to mph are possible over a long stretch of coastline, but the track of the low pressure could spare the worst of the impacts, as the backside of the low is likely to remain offshore.  

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