It’s more beach weather than Bears weather, thanks to a not-so-seasonal southwestern flow of warm air.
With temperatures expected to hit the mid-80s Sunday, Chicago was poised to break a warm-weather record, the National Weather Service reported Saturday.
The record temperature for the day is 87 degrees, set in 1946.
“That will be a close one,” said Zelda Williams, a spokesman for the weather service.
The normal high for this time of year is 69 degrees, and the normal low is 47 degrees.
But warm weather breezed over the entire state Saturday.
After a cool and rainy morning in the Chicago area, the mercury hit the upper 70s by late Saturday afternoon.
“Right now, this is the fall, and we are still in the summer pattern–where the front goes by and you warm up rapidly behind the front and keep those warm temps for a while,” Williams said. “That is the thing that is not normal here.”
With a Lake Michigan water temperature of 67 degrees, an early October swim could even be tempting.
“You’ve got beach weather today and tomorrow,” Williams said.
But beach bums take note: Chicago beaches officially closed at 9:30 p.m. Labor Day, so no lifeguards are on duty.
Someone must have tipped off Chicago-area boaters about the balmy season.
Although most people put their boats in storage close to Labor Day, those who opted to wait enjoyed the spoils of Saturday’s warmth.
Coast Guard officials reported more boat traffic than usual Saturday–a day they said looked close to perfect.
“It’s pretty flat. There’s hardly a wind. It’s gorgeous,” said Calumet Harbor Coast Guard Officer Sam McCoy. “Today is just unusual.”
McCoy said the lack of breeze left some sailboaters disabled, but few other problems were reported.
The warm weather was expected to last through Tuesday before dropping back down to the lower 70s, which is closer to normal.
But true fall weather is expected to stay away for at least a bit longer, Williams said.
“It wouldn’t happen before the middle of month,” Williams said. “(We’ll have) pleasant conditions through the middle of the month.”
