O’Hare’s 97° on Sunday was the hottest day since 101° on July 31, 1999. Again, the heat was made more tolerable by low dew points. The heat should break on Monday with the passage of a cold front and a gradual shift to northwest winds—but the front is weak, and temperatures will remain above normal Tuesday.
Today, Chicago enters the warmest period of normal temperatures for the year, 10 days with an average a high of 84° and a low of 64°. After the brief heat relief, temperatures turn back up on Wednesday, climbing each day to follow and peaking around 100° next weekend.
Meanwhile, the extreme drought retains its grip on the area. Rain with Monday’s cold front will be scattered, and even the computer models are backing off on totals, predicting only a scant few hundredths of an inch. Thursday now looks like a better bet for rain as another weak cold front approaches from the northwest.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
