Sub-Zero Windchills, Chilly Temps Before Warm-Up: IL Weather

CHICAGO — While March always brings the prospect of spring to the greater Chicago area, residents who have spent much time living here are all too familiar with the rollercoaster ride that goes along with dealing with the local weather this time of year.

Case in point: This weekend’s local forecast.

After Mother Nature delivered a fresh coating of snow Thursday night and into Friday morning and forced local residents to say hello again to their shovels, residents heading out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday may want to bundle up like they are still living in January.

The National Weather Service predicts that windchills will hover somewhere between minus-5 and -15 to start the weekend as temperatures will only remain in the low-to-mid 20s. Air temperatures will struggle to reach double-digits overnight Friday, which will set the stage for a clear but chilly day on Saturday.

Sunshine is expected to be abundant, but the wind chills will keep things blustery for those who may be headed downtown for the dyeing of the Chicago River and the St. Patrick’s Day parade downtown.

The cold temperatures stick around Saturday night and those who live north of I-80 could see some scattered snow flurries before things take a turn for the better on Sunday just in time for the South Side’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

Temperatures to close out the weekend are expected to reach the low 50s with partly sunny skies, which ushers in even warmer air to start the workweek. Temperatures should stay above freezing overnight Sunday, forecasters predict, before spring returns with temperatures that could push 60 degrees in some parts of the region Monday before the warm-up continues next week.