As winds pick up from the southwest, Saturday's nearly 10 degrees below normal temperatures quickly reverse climbing well into the mid 40s Sunday. This brief warm-up will be short-lived as a strong cold front is forecast to move through northeast Illinois early Monday, preceded by thickening clouds and rain Sunday night and followed by wet snow as temperatures fall. By midday Monday, northwest winds with gusts approaching 30 m.p.h. will usher in falling temperatures along with occasional snow showers. Tuesday looks to be the coldest day of the week with high temps struggling to reach 32 degrees.
STORM TRACK TO THE SOUTH
The reminder of the week should see the primary west-east jet stream flow aloft established far to the south from the southern Plains through the Gulf Coast states. Storms will track through the southern states, and while a steady northwest flow aloft will prevail over the Midwest, abundant sunshine will allow northern Illinois to warm up enough during the day to allow readings to approach late fall "normals." Computer models hint at a realignment of the jet stream the next week, giving it a colder north-south trajectory over this area.
--By Paul Dailey, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
