Cool weekend with breezy winds before the chilliest air of fall

FIRST, THE FRIDAY WEATHER HEADLINES 

—-Rain’s sweeping toward the area–likely to reach the city for several hours around beginning toward 7 to 8 pm–but out of here by midnight. 

–It’s a cold front which is passing. While it was cool today—58-deg at O’Hare–6-deg below normal for the day–Saturday’s highs will be cooler–reaching 53 deg at a time of year in which the “normal” Oct 15 high temp is 63. 

—Saturday will be dry with a good deal of sunshine and brisk WSW winds 11 to 23–but higher in some afternoon gusts. 

–This weekend will average 7-deg cooler than last. Check out the comparison of high temps LAST WEEKEND/VERSUS THIS WEEKEND 

Saturday Sunday 

58/53 69/54 

–EVEN COOLER AIR is poised to make a move on the Chicago area by early next week as an air mass from Canada is forced into deep into the central U.S. by powerful northwest upper steering winds Monday and Tuesday. Highs will, for the first time since late April this past spring, just shy of 6 months ago, will fail to reach 50–staying in the 40s amid powerful northwest winds likely to gusty to 30 mph and higher Monday and 25 to 30 mph Tuesday. 

—THE FIRST MIXED RAINDROPS AND SNOWFLAKES MONDAY? It’s possible. If flakes do manage to make it down to the surface, it would be 2 weeks early. The first flakes of snow generally put in an appearance here on or about October 31. 

—The cold spell will be accompanied by REALLY CHILLY air aloft, prompting a good deal of cloudiness Monday and some instability rain showers which could mix down colder air aloft. Temps just a mile above Chicago will average 21-deg versus the 44 predicted here at ground level. 

—DAYTIME AVERAGE TEMPS WILL AVERAGE 9 TO 16-DEG BELOW NORMAL EACH DAY. 

–QUITE A WARM-UP FOLLOWS. In fact temps by next weekend could hit 66 Saturday and 70 Sunday. Early indications are NEXT WEEKEND will average 12-deg warmer than this weekend. Those 60-deg highs come at a time of year in which “normal” highs are 59 and 60-deg. 

HERES THE LATEST CHICAGO METRO FORECAST 

TONIGHT: Rainy spells develop–but exit by midnight. Then clearing, breezy and colder. Low 35–but upper 20s colder inland locations. 

SATURDAY: Sunshine gives way an increase in cloudiness, breezy and cool. High 53. 

SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, cool. Low 42—but mid 30s inland. 

SUNDAY: Clouds increase again, becoming fairly windy and continued cool. Slight chance of an afternoon or evening sprinkle or light shower. High 54. 

MONDAY: CHILLIEST AIR OF AUTUMN arrives early next week. Quite windy and colder. Mixed sun gives way to more clouds and growing prospects for some rain or possible mixed rain and snow showers some locations by and during the afternoon. Wind gusts topping 30 mph likely as are more numerous lake effect rain showers in northwest Indiana. High 44. 

TUESDAY: Clouds and sun, blustery and chilly. Northwest Indiana lake effect rain showers. High 46. 

WEDNESDAY: Sun gives way to building clouds, continued cool and breezy. High 46. 

THURSDAY: A shower or two possible early, turning partly sunny, modestly milder. Still windy. High 52. 

FRIDAY: A good deal of sunshine, slow warming continues. High 56.