Forecast: Cool down lacks true winter chill

11 p.m. update: Per our Twitter updates, odds look a bit better that we’ll see some precipitation Monday. And we may have just enough cold air for a mix of light snow, sleet and/or rain. Temperatures will be too mild for any accumulation, but consider this as a late arriving heads-up :)

Today's Daily Digit

 

A somewhat subjective rating of the
day's weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

 

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Big step back from where we've been. But if I can't have snow, I'll surely take a high near 50 in January.
 
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Today: Partly sunny. Near 50 to low 50s. | Tonight: Becoming mostly cloudy. 30s.| Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers. Mid-40s to near 50. | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

Our flirtation with springtime may be over, but it’s still pretty darn pleasant outside considering it’s January. We may not be making any more runs at 70 for a while, but we could do a lot worse this time of year than today’s highs near or a little past 50. We stay above normal in the warmth department through midweek with varying amounts of sun, a small chance of showers tomorrow, and a potentially wet Wednesday into Wednesday night.

Snow Potential Index: 1 (→) - Just enough of a storm chance late week or next weekend, when temps will be colder, to not go zero.

 

The SPI is a daily assessment of the potential for accumulating snow for the next week on a 0-10 scale. Get the 'SPI' on Twitter

 

Today (Sunday): A day like today would’ve been welcomed with open arms during the past two chilly winters. But now that we’ve been spoiled this winter with 11 days since Dec. 1 featuring highs of 60+ at Reagan National, including yesterday’s fantastic 68, today’s highs near 50 to the low 50s may be a let down for some. That’s still a good bit above average, though, plus we’ll enjoy partly sunny skies and light winds from the north-northwest. Confidence: High

Tonight: Other than skies turning mostly cloudy, we’re looking pretty tranquil. Lows ranging through the 30s may sound a bit cool, but remember average lows for this time of year are in the 20s. Confidence: High

Keep reading for the forecast through midweek...

Tomorrow (Monday): Weak high pressure to our north and a weak disturbance to our south battle to control our weather. It looks like the high will keep the majority of any showers off to our south. But we’ll leave a 20% chance of showers in the forecast just in case. Showers or no showers, skies are likely mostly cloudy as our highs reach the mid-40s to near 50. Confidence: Medium

Tomorrow night: After a 20% chance of an evening shower, the trend tomorrow night is for gradual clearing. With mostly clear skies expected by early morning, we should lose enough heat to drop lows to near 30 to the mid-30s (suburbs to city). Confidence: Medium

High pressure briefly builds in ahead of a developing storm to our southwest Tuesday, and should stick around just long enough to give us quite a nice day. Plenty of sun kicks our highs back up to the mid-50s or so. Clouds increase Tuesday night with lows in the mid-30s to near 40 and a chance of showers mainly in the far southwest suburbs by morning. Confidence: Medium-High

On Wednesday, our next system moves in from the southwest. This storm looks to be getting its act together just as it’s moving through. So expect a good chance (70%) for an extended period of rain at some point Wednesday and possibly into Wednesday night. Highs remain mild, from near to the mid-50s. Confidence: Medium