A taste of spring is in store for Chicago as the region approaches record high temperatures later this week.
Daily temperatures at O'Hare Airport are expected to remain well above the monthly average of 36 degrees through at least Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Highs on Tuesday and Wednesday should be in the mid to upper 40s, the weather service said, and the forecast calls for warmer temperatures heading into the weekend, with temperatures climbing into the 50s.
Thursday's forecast calls for a high of about 57 degrees, but there's a chance it will rise even higher, pushing it closer to Feb. 8's record daily high of 62 degrees, which was set in 1925, according to the weather service.
There's more potential for record temperatures on Friday, with the high temperature again expected to reach around 57 degrees. That would put it above the February 9 record of 56 degrees, which was set in 1886, the Meteorological Service said.
Bicyclists and walkers hit the Lake Front Trail on Monday. Chicago could set a new record if the temperature on Friday rises above 56, the highest temperature recorded on February 9, in 1886.
Tyler Basiak Larivière/Sun-Times
“If we're going to break the record, ninth will probably be the easiest from a forecast standpoint,” NWS meteorologist Lee Carlaw said.
The warmer highs on Thursday and Friday will be due in part to warm, moist air being drawn across Illinois from the south on those days, Carlo said.
But warmer temperatures don't necessarily mean more sun, as conditions are expected to be mostly cloudy through Friday.
If the clouds appear a little darker during the day, it's because the cloud layer above the city may be a little thicker than usual, allowing less light to pass through, Carlo said.
More sunshine may appear during the day Friday with partly sunny conditions developing after the possibility of rain in the morning, the weather service said. Rain is also expected Thursday night.
Temperatures are expected to return to the mid-40s on Saturday.
