Many people in the Chicago area had high expectations for a white Christmas going into December, especially in light of the early occurrence of the first snowfall of the season in late October.
Christmas has arrived. Those in the Chicago area will wake up to mild temperatures, cloudy skies, and rainfall that is expected to affect the area for much of the day, rather than temperatures in the upper 20s with a dusting of snow on the ground.
As rain is predicted to move in starting in the mid-afternoon hours, temperatures are predicted to remain fairly stable throughout the day, with readings likely in the low-to-mid 50s throughout the region.
On Monday, there will probably be a quarter of an inch of rain, though totals will likely vary throughout the region.
More intriguingly, Monday is Halloween snowfall in Chicago for the second time in the last five years while Christmas Day temperatures are well above average, a repeat of the results from 2019.
Monday’s rain is predicted to be at its worst between 5 and 9 p.m., with more rain falling into the early hours of the next day.
After the rain moves out of the area overnight, temperatures will begin to drop. On Tuesday, highs are predicted to be in the mid-40s, with the possibility of more showers returning in the early hours.
The next week won’t see many high temperatures below freezing, but colder weather is on the way; on Thursday, there may even be some early snow showers.
Late in the week, dry conditions are predicted to return with highs in the upper 30s to low 40s, possibly followed by snow showers.