Chicagoans find themselves in truly rare October temperature territory. Not only was Monday morning’s minimum of 70° only the fifth October low which has failed to fall below 70°, but the reading also established a new record for the warmest miniumum temperature on Oct. 3. Monday’s 87° Midway Airport high was unusual in its own right. It marked the city’s warmest October temperature in eight years—since 89° on Oct. 5, 1997. New records were established to the north in Wisconsin at Madison (86°), Milwaukee (86°) and Green Bay (86°)—and also at Alpena, Mich. (84°).
Farther west, 90s dominated the central Plains. But as Norfolk, Neb. topped out at an 94° Monday, Cut Bank, Mont. shivered in the country’s most impressive cold air outbreak of the season to date. There the temperature was 32° and heavy snow fell for several hours, the first stage of a developing Western snowstorm.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
