Clear Skies | Illinois Weather 6 PM

Good evening! I'm Aaron Jolly. Welcome to the Illinois Weather Podcast for Wednesday, February 25th. Folks, that sunshine today was a liar. A beautiful, blue sky liar. Step outside and that northwest wind bites through every layer you've got. We're at 37 degrees right now, but it feels closer to 27 on your face. Up in northern Illinois, highs only hit 35 degrees today. Sunny? Sure. But gusts near 20 miles an hour make it feel like you're standing in a walk in freezer with the door cracked open. Tonight drops to 18 degrees. By early tomorrow morning, exposed skin feels like 11. Chicagoland, you're splitting the difference. High of 36 degrees with that same breezy northwest flow. Partly cloudy tonight, low around 26 degrees. Not terrible. Not great. Classic February limbo. Now central Illinois.. You won the weather lottery today. Partly sunny, pushing 50 degrees. But don't get too comfortable. Between 8 P.M. and 3 A.M., a sneaky little disturbance rolls through with rain flipping to snow. Up to half an inch possible along the I-74 corridor. Roads could get slick around midnight, so give yourself extra stopping distance if you're out late. Tomorrow, everything dries out. And then.. The plot twist. Friday feels like a completely different season. Northern Illinois touches 60 degrees. Chicago hits 59. Central Illinois pushes 67 degrees. That's nearly 20 above normal for late February. Your windows might actually open for the first time since November. Don't unpack the shorts just yet. A cold front crashes the party Friday night. Weekend highs tumble back into the 30s with snow chances statewide Saturday. Sunday into Monday, another system threatens accumulating snow and possibly ice across central and southern areas. One bright spot to hold onto. We're gaining nearly three minutes of daylight every single day now. Spring equinox is just three weeks out. I'll be tracking that weekend system all night. Charge your phone and check back tomorrow. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.