Summary/Highlights:

What a change a week can bring! The sun will be shining in Chicagoland everyday over the next week, bringing with it warmer temperatures and rapid snow melt. A cooler and partly cloudy start to the week will quickly turn warmer and sunnier into midweek and beyond. Each day beyond Monday will feature largely sunny skies, with daily chances for periods of partial cloudiness at times. Temperatures punching through the 40s and nearing 50 at times will pave way for rapid snow melt, a process that has already begun over this past weekend with mild temperatures. It is possible that a majority of the snowpack over northern Illinois could melt by late in the week. Because snowfall on the ground can greatly impact temperatures, the temperatures late in the week and into the weekend could end up being too conservative, with temperatures into the 50s not out of the question. Mother Nature looks to continue keeping the mild temperatures in place through the second week of March, along with increased chances of rain and perhaps thunderstorms as well. Enjoy this long stretch of sunny weather while it lasts, as it isn’t very often Chicagoland sees such long periods of sunshine during the springtime months.

Daily Forecast:

Monday 3/1: Partly to mostly sunny skies, with the majority of clouds present during the morning hours. Cooler than average temperatures will make for a chilly start to March. High temperature of 32° with a low temperature of 20°.

Tuesday 3/2: Sunny skies and a large jump in temperatures likely will create a gorgeous day. Winds could gust to 35 mph at times from the southwest. High temperature of 45° with a low temperature of 32°.

Wednesday 3/3: Slightly warmer temperatures coupled with mostly sunny skies will make for another beautiful day. High temperature of 47° with a low temperature of 29°.

Thursday 3/4: Slightly cooler, though mostly sunny skies continue. High temperature of 43° with a low temperature of 27°.

Friday 3/5: Plentiful sunshine and very mild temperatures make this the clear keeper of the week! High temperature of 50° with a low temperature of 29°.

Saturday 3/6: Temperatures in the upper 40s continue along with more sunshine. High temperature of 46° with a low temperature of 28°.

Sunday 3/7: Sunny skies during the morning hours may lead to a few clouds in the afternoon, and possibly more substantial cloud cover into the evening as a storm system moves into the Plains. Nevertheless, continued mild temperatures are likely. Winds may increase from the south late in the day.  High temperature of 48° with a low temperature of 32°.

National Weather Headlines:

A long swath of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, some severe, has been and will continue to affect areas of the Ark-La-Tex region northeastward into the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic through early week. 

Warm temperatures are rapidly expanding over the United States this week. Rapid snow melt and river ice jams could lead to flooding in many places.

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