Spring Thaw Finally Coming This Weekend
(CBS) -- It's been meteorological spring for nearly four days, though you'd never guess from the weather. Chicago area residents will have to suffer through a couple more days of frigid weather before a gradual spring thaw begins this weekend.
While skies were much clearer Wednesday – after Tuesday started with a mix of snow, sleet and rain – temperatures dropped from the low 30s into the teens overnight.
While Wednesday won't be breaking any records for cold, as the temperature at O'Hare was already at 18 degrees by 9 a.m. – one degree higher than the March 4th record of 17 set in 1890 – and was expected to get up to 20 by the afternoon.
Temperatures will plunge into the single digits overnight, but again will likely fall short of a record for cold for March 5th, set in 1978 when the temperature hit zero degrees, with a predicted low of 4 degrees.
Thursday again will see temperatures in the teens, and then single digits overnight into Friday, when a spring warmup finally will begin.
On Friday, temperatures will soar to about 32 degrees, and that trend will continue through the middle of next week, with a high of 38 on Saturday, 40 on Sunday, 42 on Monday, and 50 on Tuesday.
The normal high temperature for early March is 42 degrees in Chicago, so next week will be the first time in weeks the temperature will feel like it should.
Even better, there's little chance of any precipitation over the next seven days.