Chicago Will Flirt With Record Warmth Before Temperatures Plunge Again
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Just days after matching the longest cold snap on record, Chicago was flirting with historic warmth on Thursday, but the spring-like weather won't last the day.
Temperatures already had reached 57 degrees in Chicago by 7 a.m., only four degrees shy of the record high for Jan. 11 in Chicago, when the mercury hit 61 in 1880. There's a slight chance Chicago could match that record on Thursday.
The warm spell comes just five days after Chicago tied a record for the longest stretch of temperatures below 20, with a 12-day stretch of frigid weather.
So, when you walk out the door Thursday morning, it might feel like something of a gift. Considering the brutal cold that gripped the Chicago area the past couple weeks, Thursday will be a day to be savored.
At the Jefferson Park train and bus station, CBS 2 caught up with people who, for once, weren't huddled together under the heat lamps.
"It's nice not to have any long johns on. No hat. No gloves. My coat's right here, because I heard the temperature's going to change, but I'm going to take them as they come. Typical Chicago weather, you know? One day subzero weather. The next day the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and pretty soon the birds are going to be going tweet tweet," Michael Burke said.
It will be a very brief break from the cold. By the end of the night, temperatures will have plunged more than 30 degrees.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will, Grundy, Kendall, and Livingston counties from 6 p.m. to midnight.
There is a slight chance of freezing rain and sleet as the cold air moves in Thursday night.
Friday will bring temperatures in the teens and 20s. Friday and Saturday also could see chances for snow.
