No end in sight for warm start to April

Not a day with below normal temps so far this month—16 days straight as of Saturday and still counting! According to Chicago’s climatological data expert Frank Wachowski, the longest previous stretch of consecutive days at or above average at the start of April was 10 back in 1871 and 1969. So April 2005 in Chicago has established a record and the end is not in sight. The first half of this month temperatures have averaged nearly 7° above normal and if forecasts pan out, the warmest is yet to come! The first three days this week (Sunday-Tuesday) readings are projected to average nearly 20° above normal. By week’s end Chicago’s record April start of consecutive days averaging at or above normal may have reached 23! A cold front is expected to sink south into central Illinois later Wednesday followed by a persistent north to northeast flow that should cool temperatures significantly, but even then readings may average at or slightly above normal.