Temperatures in Chicago have dropped to winter temperatures after breaking records

Temperatures in Chicago will drop more than 30 degrees within 24 hours starting Friday, and the cold could stick around.

National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Friedline said Chicago residents should expect a long stretch of cold weather in “early winter” that could last into the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

The week leading up to Veterans Day saw unseasonably warm temperatures, about 25 degrees above normal for early fall. Thursday brought a record high temperature for November 10 in Chicago, reaching 76 degrees. The previous record, set in 2020, was 75 degrees. High temperatures typically hover in the 50s at this point in November, Friedline said.

But starting Friday, the temperature will drop to the level normal for December. Temperatures in Chicago were in the low 40s Friday morning, and Friedline expects them to gradually drop in the afternoon. Daytime highs of up to 30 degrees will be seen for at least the next five days. This will be the first sustained cold spell this fall, Friedline said.

“It’s definitely going to be a lot colder for the people of Chicago because we’ve been ranging from well above normal to well below normal,” Friedline said.

The coming cold weather also brings a chance for blizzard conditions, Friedline said. Saturday could bring snow, while weather developing late next Tuesday could bring some accumulation. Chicago the first official snow of this season was recorded at O’Hare Airport on October 17.

Changes in weather patterns are common in the spring and fall, especially during La Niña periods, when the waters of the Pacific Ocean are cooler than usual, Friedline said. La Niña conditions are expected to persist through the end of the year.

Friedline said the cold weather is a reminder to prepare for winter in Chicago. This week is Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Illinois and Indiana.

“It’s time to think about it in Chicago, how you prepare your home, how you prepare your car, what you do in case of an emergency — just preparing things,” Friedline said.

mellis@chicagotribune.com