Clear Skies | Illinois Weather Noon

Good afternoon! I'm Aaron Jolly. Welcome to the Illinois Weather Podcast for Wednesday, February 25th. Folks, step outside right now and you'll feel 28 degrees under a gray ceiling. But that ceiling is about to crack open.. And what comes next depends on where you're standing. Up in northern Illinois, sunshine wins the afternoon. High of 32 degrees, but west winds gusting to 15 miles an hour make it feel closer to 15. That's the kind of cold that sneaks through your zipper. Tonight settles to 18 degrees under partly cloudy skies. Slide south into Chicagoland and you'll pick up a few extra degrees. The sun punches through for a high of 36. Winds gust to 20 miles an hour this afternoon, so hold onto your hat near the lakefront. Tonight drops to 26. Now central Illinois.. You're the warm kid in class today. Highs near 48 degrees under partly sunny skies. Enjoy that while it lasts, because between 8 P.M. and 2 A.M., rain transitions to snow. It peaks around midnight. Accumulation stays light, less than half an inch. Low of 29. Looking ahead, Thursday rebounds nicely. Chicagoland hits 43. Central Illinois reaches 49. Northern Illinois climbs to 42. All under mostly sunny skies. Then Friday.. This is the one I keep staring at. Temperatures surge near 60 degrees across much of the state. That's roughly 20 degrees above normal for late February. Your windows might actually open for the first time since November. Don't get too comfortable though. A cold front crashes the party Saturday, dragging snow chances back through the weekend. One more thing worth noting. We're gaining nearly three minutes of daylight every day now. Sunrise at 6:33, sunset at 5:36. Spring equinox is just three weeks out. I'll be tracking that Friday warmth and Saturday flip all week. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.