Northern Illinois Weather: Looking Like Spring For The Next Week

That long, extended deep freeze we went through a few weeks back here in Northern Illinois seemed like it would never end, and that we'd never have warm weather again.

It turns out that we may have been wrong to feel that way.

I'm looking at the extended forecast for Northern Illinois, and for every bad mood the Arctic Blast we recently went through caused, there are going to be dozens of good moods due to what's about to happen in the weather department.

Ready for some unseasonable warmth? Of course you are.

It's Not "Real" Spring, But It's Going To Feel Close Enough For A Week In The Middle Of Winter

When you've gone outside in Northern Illinois this week and wondered whether winter hit the pause button, you’re not imagining it because a strong warm-up is on the way.

After weeks of bitterly cold temperatures that rarely climbed above freezing, forecasts now show several days of spring-like warmth, with highs climbing well into the 40s and 50s, even flirting with near 60 degree readings by the middle of next week.

For much of January and early February, our entire area was locked down in a deep freeze. We weren't even coming close to 32 degrees, and overnight lows frequently plunged into the single-digits or lower, with wind chill readings hitting -35 degrees. That cold snap was part of a broader pattern of Arctic air dominance across the Midwest and Northeast, with cold outbreaks gripping much of the country just days ago.

Now, That Frigid Weather Pattern Has Shifted, And We Should Like What Happens Next

For about the next seven days, the weather experts are forecasting mild, mostly dry conditions under a warmer air mass. Sunshine will be making itself known on many days, and even when a few clouds roll through, temperatures will remain well above the seasonal average.

With daytime highs often in the upper 40s into the middle 50s, and lows staying well out of deep freeze territory, we’ll feel more like mid-March than mid-February.

Check the numbers (hat tip to the Weather Channel):

• Thursday (2/12): Sunny, with a high of 42 and a low of 26
• Friday (2/13): All sun, with a high of 50 and a low of 27
• Saturday (2/14 Valentine's Day): Partly sunny, with a high of 53 and a low of 31
• Sunday (2/15): All sun, with a high of 55 and a low of 32
• Monday (2/16): Cloudy, with a high of 56 and a low of 36
• Tuesday (2/17): Cloudy, with a high of 56 and a low of 46
• Wednesday (2/18): Partly cloudy, with a high of 57 and a low of 30

After Wednesday, the temps begin to roll back to what we normally would expect in mid-February in Northern Illinois.

Most of us really don't like the cold, in spite of where we've chosen to live, but can you imagine actually being allergic to cold weather?