The opening nine days of January—in stark contrast with last month’s frigid open—rank among the warmest on record. The period’s 36.5° average temperature eclipses the Chicago area’s long-term average of 24.5° and ranks 7th mildest of all comparable periods since 1871.
There’s no guarantee such warmth can be sustained indefinitely. In fact, five of seven comparably mild January opens were followed by sharp temperature pullbacks which returned readings in the month’s remaining three weeks to “normal” or “below normal” levels.
There’s no sign yet of a similar downturn. Coming days will actually see readings increase, reaching the 50s in all but lakeside communities north of the city Thursday.
Mild weather is no stranger here in January. Each day of January, 1990 was above normal and the month finished 12.5° above normal.
-Tom Skilling
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
