Rain will bring in highs near 60, more storms

Low pressure approaching from the west is expected to spread a brief period of showers
over northeast Illinois this afternoon and tonight. As this band of rain moves to the
east, southwesterly winds will pick up, pulling unseasonably warm air into the area Tuesday.
Chicago's 63-degree record high for Feb. 10 that has stood for 133 years will be tested.
The mild air will also threaten the record high minimum temperature of 43 set in 1886.
Because warm air holds more moisture, showers and thunderstorms could dump heavy rain
before low pressure and the associated cold front Wednesday. Computer models indicate that
as much as 2 inches of rain could fall with these storms, resulting in heavy runoff over
frozen soil and subsequent flooding of already swollen rivers and streams.
TURNING COLDER THURSDAY
For the rest of the week, colder Canadian high pressure will hold over the northern half
of the country, including northern Illinois. This will force low-pressure systems to
track east through the southern portions of the United States and keep Chicago mostly
precipitation-free.
--By Paul Dailey, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist