Bitter cold returns Sunday, lingers into next week

Unseasonably and near-record cold for early March will begin Sunday and linger into the work week for the Chicago area, according to the National Weather Service.

Saturday will see temperatures between 29 and 35 degrees, but that’ll drop as low as 18 on Sunday with below-average temps lasting through Wednesday, forecasters said.

Normal highs for this time of year are about 41 degrees, with lows usually around 24, forecasters said.

For anyone heading downstate, accumulating snow is also still expected in most of central and southeast Illinois Saturday night and Sunday, with 1 to 3 inches in most areas, NWS said. Wind chills could plummet 20 degrees below zero in parts of far northern Illinois on Monday morning.

For Chicago, the average temperature in February was 25.9 degrees, about 1.8 degrees below normal, according to NWS. The highest temperature came at 53 degrees on Feb. 23, while the lowest temperature was 1 degree on Feb. 1.