Temperatures continue rebounding Thursday—the area is in line for its first official 70° high in two weeks. Until now, Chicago has been mired in an unseasonably chilly May weather regime responsible for four consecutive nighttime lows at or below 35°. Readings that chilly have never been observed in all four opening days of May over the 135 year period for which we have official weather observations here. Little wonder May is running 10.5° below normal as the month’s fifth day dawns—a formidable deficit.
But the pattern is changing. Wednesday, with 100% of its possible sun, warmed to 62° a reading nearly 10° milder than Tuesday.
Parts of Florida were swamped by heavy rains of in excess of 3” and, in the case of Daytona Beach, buried by a freak hailstorm. Up to 3” of hail—some of it golfball size—covered the ground there causing several traffic accidents.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
