Spring exploded in the Chicago area Sunday as highs surged into the upper 70s, aided by abundant sunshine and gusty southwest winds. The warmth covered the entire metropolitan region, including the lakefront where Northerly Island peaked at 77º.
The mercury officially reached 79º at O’Hare, shattering the old 1967 record of 75º and falling just one degree shy of the 80º plateau—a rare Chicago temperature benchmark in March, reached on only 10 days since 1871 (most recently on March 12, 1990, when it hit 81º). If highs on Monday top 77º, the city could break its third record high this month, capping a dramatic temperature reversal after March’s chilly opening.
The early season warmth helped fuel severe thunderstorms across the upper Midwest, where hail and high winds battered parts of western and central Wisconsin. One-inch-diameter hail pelted areas north of Madison near Portage while strong winds downed trees east of Minneapolis.
--By Steve Kahn, 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.
