Summer’s Encore: Mid-80s Heat Returns to Illinois Into October

As of September 22, we are officially in the fall season, but it will still feel like summer into October.

A Strange Late-Season Warm Front

We're eating Apple Cider donuts and sucking down Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but it feels like we should be having ice cream and sipping on Margaritas poolside with the heat that is setting in this weekend.

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According to the extended forecast from The Weather Channel, temperatures in the Rockford region are expected to remain in the low to mid-80s through early October.

The Chicagoland area will be into the 80s too this upcoming weekend, and will remain in the mid to upper-70s into the first few days of next month.

Defying the Seasonal Norms

There is a sharp contrast between these 80-degree highs we're going to get and what the typical high temperatures are this late in September around Rockford and Chicagoland.

Normally, we would have daily highs in the upper 60s and lower around 50, but instead of the crisp fall air many of us love, we're going to have our "second summer" before we get to ACTUAL fall.

According to the Weather Channel, this above-normal warmth is due to a ridge of high pressure that has warm air trapped over the Midwest.

When Will Fall Weather Finally Arrive?

Nobody wants to sweat in the heat and humidity while enjoying our local Apple Orchards and Corn Mazes, so when will it start to feel like it's Autumn in the Rockford area?

According to the latest extended forecast from the Weather Channel, after the first weekend in October, it will start to cool down.

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From Wednesday, October 1, through Saturday, October 4, highs will hover around 80 degrees in Rockford. Then the first full week of October, temperatures will drop into the lower 70s during the day, and into the upper 40s overnight.