Chicago’s delightfully mild April, which currently ranks fourth warmest in 135 years of records dating back to 1871 is facing a brief but potent setback. A slug of cold air barreling down icy Lake Michigan will drop Tuesday’s temperatures more than 25º from Monday’s balmy 73º high and even bring a threat of frost to inland areas early Wednesday. The chill will be brief, departing as quickly as it came with the mercury rebounding nearly 20º back to the middle 60s Wednesday.
Chicago’s change won’t be quite as dramatic as the one that hit Valentine in central Nebraska where Sunday’s high topped out at 73º followed by an unseasonably chilly 40º high and 4” of snow Monday.
Severe weather broke out across the southern Plains Monday with more than 125 reports of severe weather, including a twister at El Reno, Oklahoma about 30 miles west of Oklahoma City.
-Steve Kahn WGNTV Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
