Temperatures are expected to climb into the mid- to high 50s on Thursday, threatening to be the highest at this time of year in more than 50 years. Some people in the area may take the opportunity to get a break from winter and enjoy the outdoors.

On Wednesday, Bill Richardson took advantage of the warmer temperatures to do what he has done for the past couple of years in retirement: Explore nature trails.

“I should’ve worn cruddier shoes for all this mud and guck,” he said while hiking in Mendota’s Snyder Grove Nature Area.

The above-average temperatures gave the Libertyville resident the ability to get out of the house and experience temperatures that give residents a little harbinger of spring in the middle of January.

Thursday’s warmup is due to a low-pressure weather system pulled in from the Gulf region, National Weather Service spokesperson Brett Borchadt said.

“It’s going to feel like spring,” Borchadt said. “It will feel muggy and humid, with the dew point reaching up into the 50s.”

Dew point is the temperature required to keep moisture in the air. With the dew point in the 50s, more moisture will accumulate in the air and contribute to the springlike feeling that Borchadt described.

With rain expected later Thursday, Richardson said he is going to get his hike in early.

Borchadt said that given the expected conditions, the temperature may not be as big a jump during sunlight hours as it could’ve been.

“Cloud cover could lessen the temperature during the day, but we’re expecting the temperature to peak around midnight Thursday going into Friday,” he said.

Typical January temperatures are expected to return heading into the weekend.

Thursday’s temperature may approach records for this time of year, but the type of weather pattern isn’t abnormal.

Jet-stream shifts typically occur early in the new year. They guide air masses and weather systems, resulting in a low-pressure system from the Gulf region getting pulled into this area and providing this spike in temperature.