Until Monday, Chicago hadn’t received 100% of a day’s possible sunshine in the three weeks since Oct. 30. The abundance of sun by itself wasn’t enough to overcome the chill which has dominated autumn. For a third consecutive day, the city’s official National Weather Service observation site at O’Hare reported a 44(degrees) high. There have been only five days this month at Midway Airport during which the mercury has managed to break above 50(degrees). Such a limited number of 50(degrees)+ days is rare in November’s opening 20 days, having occurred only 7 times in the past 78 years.
As residents of the central East Coast prepare for the onset of a blustery multi-day storm which threatens 20 ft. seas, 50+ m.p.h. coastal wind gusts and possible 8″ rains, the desert Southwest is enjoying record warmth. Never before Monday had Phoenix, Arizona recorded an 89(degrees) high temperature so late in the season.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
