Cold Friday ahead, milder days on the horizon for northern Illinois

Chilly Friday Ahead:

It is shaping up to be a cold Friday across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. With the coldest air anchored overhead, afternoon temperatures will likely struggle to reach the low 40s. Cloud cover, and a chilly northerly breeze will also play a major role in the limitations to today's warm up. At times, we could see winds gust up to 25 mph. 

Skies will gradually clear heading into tonight. That clearing, paired with lighter winds, will allow low temperatures to bottom out in the mid 20s by Saturday morning. Even with the lighter breeze, wind chills will be flirting with the upper teens to start the weekend, so be sure to bundle up. Wind chill values Sunday morning won't be as cold, dropping into the upper 20s in a few Stateline locales. 

   

Weekend Forecast: 

Despite the frigid start, steady improvements will spill into the area as the weekend progresses. Surface temperatures will rebound nicely, climbing back near average in the upper 40s both days. With an area of high pressure locked in nearby, conditions will stay quiet throughout the weekend. 

   

Mild Times Return:

Fortunately, a significant warming trend is right around the corner for the Stateline as mild conditions return next week. As this initial cold plunge pushes off to the east, strong ridging building to our west will allow warm southwest winds to take over. This setup will drive our daytime highs up into the low 50s for Monday and Tuesday, before climbing even higher towards 60 degrees next Thursday.