October ‘06 has hosted most rainy days here in 81 years

A cloudier, chillier, or wetter October hasn’t occurred very often here. Thursday’s 0.51” of rain at O’Hare marked the 14th day of measurable precipitation since the month began. Only five other Octobers since official weather records began here back in 1871 have registered as many or more days with water equivalent precipitation totals of 0.01” or more, the most recent of them October 1925—81 years ago. Not surprisingly, the month is on track to be the cloudiest October here in 15 years. Through Thursday, Chicago has hosted only 46% of its possible sunshine—well below the 58% considered “normal” and the 54% logged here a year ago.
Friday’s heavy overcast in Chicago sits on the northern flank of the powerful storm which deposited such wet snow accumulations in Colorado, experts fear avalanches in the state’s mountains. A swarm of 20 twisters swept southwest Kansas in the warmer air just east of the storm’s blizzard.
-Tom Skilling