With bitter temps descending on the Chicago area and the local groundhog predicting six more weeks of winter, many are likely dreaming of spring -- but what will this spring look like?
A new prediction is out and, if it holds true, there's some good news in store for the Chicago area.
The Old Farmer's Almanac released its spring 2023 forecast, saying "spring as a whole has the potential to be a warmer-than-normal period across much of the U.S."
It nots there may be some "pockets of chillier air" across some portions of the U.S., but the Midwest isn't among those locations and is expected to "lean toward the milder side."
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As for rain, the almanac predicts precipitation will "be on the wet side."
The spring equinox, or the time in which spring officially begins, is slated to take place at 4:24 p.m. CT on March 20.
The almanac's prediction looks to be somewhat in line with the seasonal outlook from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center.
Local
The NWS forecasts that for March through May, much of Illinois will see temperatures "leaning above" average.
The only problem? Northern Illinois, including much of the Chicago area, does not appear to be in that range. Instead, it looks to have "equal chances" of being above or below average.
As for precipitation, roughly all of Illinois looks to also be above average.
Still, many meteorologists caution against such far out predictions as they can be unreliable.
For now, the possibility of warmer temps to come will have to carry us through the bitter blast currently reminding Chicago that winter is far from over.
