Arctic air is on hiatus this weekend after producing subfreezing temperatures for 52 bone-chilling hours. Temperatures recover noticeably Saturday despite gusty winds. Area readings near or just above 50° appear a good bet and may reach the low/mid 50s in the warmest locations. That’s a surge of 22 degrees over Thursday’s frigid January-level 28° high.
By late Friday, the powerful cold air outbreak had slashed the month’s temperature ranking in Chicago 20 slots—from 12th to 32nd warmest of 135 Novembers on record. And, at least two strong new surges of arctic air next week (after Monday) threaten to further depress the ranking.
Readings first fell below 32° at 7 a.m. Wednesday, then remained below freezing through 11:30 a.m. Friday. Winds gusted above 30 m.p.h. during at least half of that 52-hour stretch, producing a long string of single-digit wind chills. Only 21 other years since 1871 have hosted such cold weather so early in the season.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
