Chicago’s daytime temperatures are expected to hold in the 40s through the closing days of 2006, and that might not seem particularly mild—especially when gray skies, gusty winds and rain accompany those readings, but it’s a relative thing.
The city’s normal daily high temperatures hover in the lower 30s at this time of year, so readings in the 40s are relatively mild when compared to the climatological expectation. We have not had measurable snow (at least 0.1”) since the first of December (when 5.8” came down officially at O’Hare) and the city area might very well sail through the remainder of the month with no additional snow.
Chicago’s next major precipitation event will be in the form of rain, and plenty of it, beginning Saturday and continuing through Sunday (New Year’s Eve). Computer models indicate rain totals in excess of one inch through the holiday weekend. --By Richard Koeneman, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
