Since the start of meteorological autumn on Sept. 1, rain’s been in short supply falling measurably on only five days—Wednesday marks the 6th. Moisture associated with the remnants of Tropial Storm Matthew is behind Wednesday’s damp, raw weather here. Totals over the coming 24 hours (through Wednesday night) across the Chicago area should be limited to several tenths of an inch, but as much as 0.73” fell downstate at Carbondale. Powerful southerly winds associated with a mammoth storm off North America’s west coast are sweeping unseasonably mild air up the west end of the continent—a development which buckles the channel of jet stream winds north into a huge “ridge”, allowing northerly steering winds to dive from Canada into the central U.S. Strong chilling winds are to hit Chicago late Wednesday. The strongest cold surge to-date hits late Friday/Saturday.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
