Until Monday, Chicago hadn’t received 100% of a day’s possible sunshine in the three weeks since Oct. 30. The abundance of sun by itself wasn’t enough to overcome the chill which has dominated autumn. For a third consecutive day, the city’s official National Weather Service observation site at O’Hare reported a 44° high. There have been only five days this month at Midway Airport during which the mercury has managed to break above 50°. Such a limited number of 50°+ days is rare in November’s opening 20 days, having occurred only 7 times in the past 78 years.
As residents of the central East Coast prepare for the onset of a blustery multi-day storm which threatens 20 ft. seas, 50+ m.p.h. coastal wind gusts and possible 8” rains, the desert Southwest is enjoying record warmth. Never before Monday had Phoenix, Arizona recorded an 89° high temperature so late in the season.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist