Chicago weather: Temps to near 50 degrees amid strong winds

CHICAGO - It’s going to be another windy day today in Chicago with temperatures soaring well into the 40s. In fact, it’s possible some spots could tag 50 degrees this afternoon.

Winds will be at their strongest during the afternoon hours, which is why a Wind Advisory is in effect for essentially the same areas as yesterday between 2 and 6 PM. 

Chicago Weather Forecast

Winds will likely exceed 40 mph this afternoon with a few isolated stronger gusts possible. Skies will be mostly sunny. Tonight will be mostly clear and seasonably cool with diminishing wind. 

Future Forecast

What's next:

Here's a look at the week ahead.

• Wednesday: Tomorrow will likely be another 40-degree day with ample sunshine and a breeze out of the southwest at lesser speeds than the past two days.
• Thursday: It still looks like a 50-degree day to me. There will be a storm system approaching from the southwest. This is the same one which has brought the rain and mountain snow to California. It looks like rain will arrive in Chicagoland by nightfall as temperatures remain above freezing for the majority of the storm event. However, there are some indications now among the computer models for at least a little bit of wet snow to mix in as the system winds up and moves out on Friday. The greater concern, however, will be for the rain and possible flooding implications due to the solidly-frozen ground.
• Weekend: Saturday and Sunday look mainly quiet with temperatures once again well above normal even more so on Sunday than Saturday.

Chicago's Dry January

Dig deeper:

You’ve heard of a dry January, but this is a truly dry one in Chicago.

Precipitation for the month has been a scant 0.23" at O’Hare. With only four days left in the month, 2025 currently ranks as the 3rd-driest January on record here. January1981 had only 0.10" and 1919 had 0.20" to top the list. But that dry distinction is likely to fall by the wayside.

A strong storm system, the one that has brought rain to southern California, is headed our way. Rainfall is likely to arrive by late in the day or night on Thursday, continuing into at least early Friday when some wet snow could mix in as well.  

Rainfall amounts could easily exceed ½" in our area. This could lead to some flooding concerns due to the frozen ground.

The Weather Service office in Romeoville has measured a frost depth of a foot, in fact.  If you pour some water on a surface like a sponge, the water is absorbed. Ground that isn’t frozen can absorb the rain in this manner. Now pour water on a flat rock.  It has nowhere to go but across the surface.  This is what much of the rain will do later this week. 

Too much rain and runoff could become problematic. Something we will be watching closely moving forward.