Smoke off distant Idaho and Montana forest fires produced the red tint to the moon which caught the attention of many Chicagoans Friday night. The smoke rode westerly winds aloft and arrived at the 18,000-foot level.
Friday's 79 degree high was the second coolest daytime reading of the month and followed a morning low of 64 degrees at O'Hare -- coolest in nearly two weeks.
Eastbound t-storms erupted in the Plains and western Midwest Friday, towering to 60,000 feet. The storms pounded Rapid City, S.D., with 2.75"-sized hail and nearly 2" of rain. The stormy environment shifts into the Chicago area later Saturday and Saturday night.
In the tropics, Jamaica appears to be Hurricane Dean's next target. The storm -- a Category 4 with 145 m.p.h. sustained winds late Friday -- underwent explosive development once in contact with the bathtub-warm waters of the Caribbean. Dean is on a path similar to 1988's Gilbert, in which peak gusts reached 218 m.p.h.
--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.
