For only the ninth time in 2004, rainfall exceeded 1” Monday over much of the Chicago metro area. The 1.07” which had been tallied at O’Hare by late Monday ranked 4th heaviest among all rains on record since 1871 on Nov. 1. The heavy rain wasn’t limited to this area. Rivers were on the rise across sections of 8 states from Texas and Lousiana north to central Illinois.
But while rain was the big story at many locations, a small tornado was reported to have touched-down at 3:35 p.m. downstate near Champaign. The twister then proceded on the ground along a 1.5-mile path averaging 100 yards wide. Preliminary reports indicate the storm tore the roofs off three barns. One of the barns was said to have been completely destroyed. The same storm whitened the lower elevations of Colorado and the western Plains for the first time this fall. Aspen Park was hit by a 15” while metropolitan Denver residents dealt with slushy highways after 2.6” fell.
-Tom Skilling
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
