Until a bit of sun broke through the clouds Friday—all two hours of it—the latest stretch of dreary, gray November skies had blocked all sunlight for four consecutive days. November has rarely served as a repository of sunny days in Chicago, and this year’s no different. It’s just been cloudier than most. Instead of the 40% of possible sunshine considered typical, this November has received just 25% of its possible sun—the cloudiest since 1992. That makes Saturday’s additional mixed sun (until clouds fill back in this afternoon) especially welcome.
With two weeks remaining in meteorological autumn, this 12th weekend of fall is to be the area’s chilliest yet. November is running 7.4° behind a year ago, and temperatures here since Sept. 1 are now 6.4° chillier than last year.
Lake-effect showers Saturday night and Sunday will fall into a shallow layer of air “warmed” by Lake Michigan’s 46° waters. This could lead to a mix of light rain, snow and sleet near the lake—trending toward more snow inland.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
