Thursday’s mild temperatures, the first in a string of four straight highs above 50°, are better suited to late October than mid-December. Today’s 55° high is 20 degrees above normal and matches the normal highs here for Oct. 30 to Nov. 2. But as wonderful as this reading is, the best may come Saturday when the 1984 record high of 60° may be equalled if not exceeded.
Fast westerly jet stream-level winds are playing a big role in delivering the unusual warmth. While mountain ranges to the west wring most low-level moisture out of the atmosphere, mid and high-level moisture remains. Thursday’s trend to more cloudiness is evidence of that.
Three mammoth solar flares, the most recent Tuesday evening, forced astronauts into the International Space Station to escape potentially dangerous radiation for a time. Charged earthbound particles from these huge coronal mass ejections often set off auroral displays.
The Geminid meteor shower is visible again Thursday night. As many as 50-60 meteors an hour may be seen during such events.
--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.
