Chicagoans shivered through one of the city’s most potent late April daytime temperature pullbacks in nearly 20 years Tuesday. The 46° high was 27° colder than Monday’s 73° peak reading and the coldest April 25 afternoon temperature here in 30 years (since the 45° high in 1976). Only twice since city weather observations moved to Midway Airport in 1942 then to O’Hare in 1980 has April 25 been any colder. The temperature plunge between Monday and Tuesday was the equivalent of the change in “normal” highs which would occur if the clock could be turned from mid or late May back to the middle of March.
Readings Tuesday were so chilly, rare late season ice pellets and flurries were observed. A trace or more of snow has been observed in the city a total of 7,560 days since 1885. Yet snow or ice pellets have fallen only 74 times in that 121 year period beyond April 25.
-Tom Skilling
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
