First wave of thundery rain due later Thursday

Hail and thundery downpours pelted the Plains late Wednesday and are heading for Chicago. The clouds responsible towered 10 miles above the terrain, and may be the first in a series to sweep the nation’s heartland in coming days. Rain won’t fall continuously. In fact, rain-free interludes are a good bet. But when the downpours do come, they may produce some impressive rainfalls here. Unfortunately, the clouds responsible threaten to obscure much of Thursday night’s annual Perseid’s Meteor shower.
Warm weather continued Wednesday. O’Hare’s 90° high was the 22nd of 2005. August’s opening 10 days rank third warmest since observations began at the site in 1959.
In contrast to Chicago’s recent heat, snow fell “down under” earlier this week. It’s winter in Australia—but snow isn’t common in Victoria or its state capital of Melbourne. The flakes there were the first since 1986 and the heaviest since 1951.