Talk about a topsy-turvy North American weather pattern! While Chicagoans dream of a return to the 80° warmth which teased the area just over a week ago, an unusual early season warm-up produced a third consecutive day of record breaking mild temps in Alaska. It’s a pattern strikingly similar to the one which last year produced that state’s warmest summer ever—along with drought conditions which fostered wildfires responsible for charring more than 6 million acres. Chicago’s high of 55° Wednesday was exceeded by record-breaking highs of 72° at Juneau and 65° at Anchorage.
Warmth of that magnitude forces jet stream winds well west and north—a situation which produces a very wavy North American jet stream pattern. Northwest winds blow from Canada’s arctic region south into the Midwest and are behind the sub-normal temps which have dominated here lately.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
