Chicago has been mired in a cool and showery funk this May, devoid of any hint of warmth from the fast approaching summer season. With two-thirds of the month already gone, the highest May temperature on the books here has been a paltry 74º, and the city has been peppered with measurable showers on 11 days. All that is about to change, as a dome of heat that has been setting records across the West and South appears ready to make a move toward the Midwest.
Saturday afternoon highs reached the 90s across the nation’s southern tier with triple digit heat common in the Desert Southwest and western Texas. Record highs were established at Lubbock (101°), San Angelo (102°) and Midland (103°), all in Texas.
The heat here will arrive in stages. After today’s brief cool down, highs should stair-step through the 70s and 80s, possibly reaching the 90º mark for the first time this year, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend.
-Steve Kahn WGN-TV Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
