The Chicago metro area was able to stay clear of new snow that blanketed areas south of the city Friday and can now expect temperatures on par with averages in March along with some chances of rain the rest of the weekend, according to the National Weather Service Chicago.
Meteorologist Matt Friedlein said Saturday temperatures are moderate compared to Friday’s, with the high around the mid to upper 40s across Chicagoland and lows tonight hovering just around freezing as well as a chance of scattered rain showers later Saturday afternoon into the evening that could affect about 40% of the area. Drivers shouldn’t anticipate roads to be icy, however, as temperatures will not hit freezing weather until late tonight.
Chicago commuters on Friday evening may have been concerned about a messy trip home after a winter weather advisory was issued, but the brunt of the anticipated snow system hit south of the city, such as far southern Cook County into Kankakee County and Lake County, Indiana, Friedlein said. Those areas got snow totals anywhere from about an inch up to five inches, with Chicago Heights in southern Cook County reporting 3.2 inches of snow.
Sunday’s highs are a bit cooler around the low to mid 40s and even sinking into the upper 30s closer to the lake, while the lows for most of the area will be in the upper 30s to low 40s, Friedlein said, “a classic March day,” he added. Sunday looks dry during the day, he said, but there is a “pretty good chance for rain showers” across the area tomorrow night, around 70% with the potential for some “spotty thunderstorms” as well.
Heading into the new week, highs Monday look to be around 60 and after a chance for a slightly wet morning, the rest of the day should be dry and mild, Friedlein said. High temperatures for the rest of the week are expected to be in the 30s most days with lows in the mid to upper 20s.
“As we get into March here, that’s a little below normal, especially those highs in the 30s,” Friedlein said.
The rest of the week does look dry, for the most part, until later in the week when there is another chance of precipitation, he said.
