Though the autumnal equinox is Sunday, marking the astronomical start of fall, Chicago-area residents wouldn’t know without looking at the calendar, with an unseasonably warm September continuing to start the weekend Saturday.
On the last day of astronomical summer, temperatures are expected to reach near record-high temperatures with mostly sunny skies creating a textbook summer day.
Mid-morning temperatures in much of the Chicago area are in the mid 70s, with bright conditions for those outside Northwest Indiana, which was under a dense fog advisory until 9 a.m.
Though today’s heat is unlikely to break Chicago’s record-high temperature of 94 degrees for Sept. 21, many area residents can expect highs in the low 90s by the mid-to-late afternoon.
Saturday will stay mostly dry, though a chance of storms emerges in the overnight hours, leading into a much cooler, rainier Sunday.
Lows are expected to drop into the low 60s overnight, with showers likely throughout the day on Sunday alongside highs in the mid 70s.
The unseasonably warm temperatures of the past several weeks will cool following Sunday’s showers, with forecasted highs in the upper 60s-to-mid 70s throughout much of next week.