CHICAGO – City lights shimmer across a quiet Lake Michigan early Tuesday, with a soft breeze brushing through the downtown canyons. The air feels cool but calm — a brief pause before another round of brisk autumn winds sweeps through northern Illinois midweek, giving way to a crisp and mostly dry Halloween.
According to the National Weather Service in Chicago, Tuesday will bring partly sunny skies and highs near 59°F, with gusts up to 25 mph from the southeast. The city and suburbs should see dry conditions through midweek, though winds will shift sharply northwest by Wednesday, reaching 30 mph at times and ushering in a cooler air mass.
By Thursday, calmer weather settles in with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid-50s — ideal for outdoor decorations or last-minute yard cleanup ahead of Halloween festivities. Trick-or-treaters Friday evening can expect partly cloudy skies, light breezes, and temperatures near 50°F around sunset. It’s the kind of crisp, classic fall evening Chicagoans expect at the end of October.
Models hint at a pattern shift for the weekend, with a chance of scattered showers late Saturday into Sunday as temperatures rebound briefly into the 50s. After that, a more unsettled and cooler stretch could arrive as early November brings a deeper chill off the lake.
For now, Chicago enjoys one more mild stretch — but November’s cold snap is not far behind.
Five-Day Forecast for Chicago, IL:
Tue: 59/47 – Partly sunny; breezy, gusts to 25 mph.
Wed: 56/47 – Sunny; gusty northwest wind to 30 mph.
Thu: 54/44 – Mostly sunny; calmer, pleasant day.
Fri: 54/42 – Partly sunny; cool for trick-or-treaters.
Sat: 50/40 – Mostly cloudy; late-day showers possible.
