It’s an ideal brew for strong thunderstorms across the Midwest: A vigorous jet stream aloft and a strong cold front advancing into warm, humid air. The Storm Prediction Center indicates the possibility of severe t-storms here and elsewhere in the Midwest.
Yesterday’s warmth sent Chicago’s temperature to an official high of 90º at O’Hare (one degree shy of the record for the day) and to 91º at Midway (which established a new, though unofficial, daily record high at that station). Kankakee registered the area’s hot spot, with 95º.
Proving that some good can come from just about any kind of weather, the recent long stretch of dry days has advanced Illinois crop harvests. WGN’s AgriBusiness broadcaster Max Armstrong says the Illinois corn and soybean harvests are running well ahead of normal. However, August’s heavy rains and flooded fields have devastated area pumpkin production.
--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.
