September and meteorological autumn 2007 open sun-filled Saturday -- but with a hint of autumn evident in the morning's cool first hours. The chill fades quickly and is followed by slow warming in coming days.
The sunshine is a welcome change of pace after a meteorological summer period which ranked among the four cloudiest of the past 10 years, according to Midway Airport weather observer Frank Wachowski. While Chicagoans basked in 100% of Friday’s possible sunshine -- the first completely sunny day in the metro area in a month -- the June-August period managed just 62% of its possible sun -- below the 67% considered normal.
Weekend swimmers in Lake Michigan will find shoreline water temperatures 14 degrees off the summer's 81° peak. But, they may be surprised, given all the rain which has fallen in recent weeks, to find lake waters 2" below levels a month ago and 4" lower than the same time last year.
--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.
