Chicago’s first truly wintry weather is in sight. Though the season’s first blast of pure arctic air isn’t to arrive until Sunday night, a modest temperature downturn later Friday signals the beginning of the transition to colder weather. A storm, spawned by the first stage of this pattern realignment, is spinning up directly over the Midwest. As it intensifies, the strengthening rush of air into the system is to produce a noteworthy increase in wind velocities here this afternoon, importing enough cold air to introduce wet snowflakes to at least parts of the area Friday night.
Thursday’s 50° high—the third of the week and a reading 13° above normal—is only the 17th to occur on Dec. 9 in 134 years. Record warmth was reported in Texas Thursday. Temps reached 81° Austin and 78° in Galveston. 95 m.p.h. wind gusts blasted sections of Montana. Gusts farther east on Mt. Washington, N.H. reached 133 m.p.h.
-Tom Skilling
