Wednesday opens in the 50s—more than 10° warmer than the normal high this time of year. The abnormal late season warmth and full expectation this afternoon’s high will become the 6th consecutive 60° late November reading—something which hasn’t happened in 78 years of weather observations at Midway Airport—are but the latest developments in what has amounted to an excursion through meteorological never-never land. But, a definitive break in this pattern is in sight and hits with an arctic front’s passage late Wednesday evening. The cold air it ushers into Chicago is the same air mass which has slashed Great Falls, Montana’s temperature 78° in just the past week.
Tuesday’s Midwest highs included records-among them 67° at Moline and 66° at Des Moines. Chicago’s 54° low Tuesday morning exceeded the previous warm nighttime minimum for the date (48°) set 90-years ago in 1916.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
