CHICAGO _ It was just days ago that temperatures in the Chicago area reached the mid-80s, but the pendulum is swinging, with forecasts calling for 30-degree temperatures in some spots early Friday and the National Weather Service issuing warnings that freezing or near-freezing temperatures may doom the last of those tomato plants.
A frost advisory has been issued for early Friday in Chicago and the northern suburbs to Waukegan, while a freeze warning has been issued for some of the surrounding suburbs.
Temperatures were expected to fall in the low to mid-30s _ the coldest spots largely outside the city _ through the early morning hours Friday. At the same time, a freeze warning has been issued for the west and northwest suburbs and northern suburbs, including Aurora, Elgin and Woodstock. Sensitive plants should be brought indoors or covered in areas where the frost and freeze alerts have been issued. The freeze advisory and frost warnings are in effect from 1 to 9 a.m. Friday, but keep an eye out for the forecast as lower temperatures through the day may mean another warning Friday night.
Hard to believe Chicago saw temperatures in the mid-80s on Monday. Thursday's high temperature is expected to hit 51 degrees with a low around 37 degrees across the city. On Friday, the high will be 46 degrees and the low will be 36 degrees. Highs this weekend will be in the low 50s.
With temperatures plummeting, our thoughts are naturally turning to winter. But there seems to be some disagreement about how bad it will be.
The 2019 Farmers' Almanac is predicting a "teeth-chattering cold" winter. And Chicago, along with the rest of the Midwest, will likely see above-normal snowfall, it said.
But a competitor _ the Old Farmer's Almanac, a precursor to the Farmers' Almanac founded in 1792 _ is predicting a milder-than-normal winter is likely, with forecasters there citing "a decrease in solar activity" and a weak El Nino in the Pacific Ocean, meaning cold air masses won't stick around.
