For Plains residents, subjected to bitter subzero temperatures only the day before, Friday’s surge into the 60s had to be stunning—the equivalent of moving from the dead of winter to spring in just two days. And, it offers Chicagoans an insight into the trend toward higher temperatures expected in coming days.
Temperature increases won’t be as impressive here. The presence of the Rockies just west of the Plains sets up compressional warming as air crashes down the mountain slopes. We lack mountains to the immediate west here in Chicago, so the degree of warming which can take place isn’t as eye-catching. But, the metro area is in for its most impressive warm-up in over a week and a multi-day thaw likely to obliterate the area’s snow cover.
The temperature increases over the past three days in the Plains have been dramatic. Valentine, Neb., recorded a -14° low Thursday morning but had a 66° high Friday—an 80-degree increase.
--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.
