It should come as no surprise that Fall 2007, with its abundance of warm days, currently ranks 6th warmest out of 137 meteorological autumns since 1871. Sunday's average temperature of 70 degrees was 20 degrees above normal, and the city's 80 degree high marked only the 30th such 80-degree-plus occurrence this late in the season here.
However, weather patterns are showing signs of change, and a temperature decline beginning Monday afternoon will return readings here to near or below normal through the end of the month, though no exceptionally cold weather is expected.
Warm weather also covered much of the eastern U.S. Sunday, where several record highs were broken or tied, among them 81 degrees at Detroit, 80 degrees at Youngstown, Ohio, and 92 degrees at Midland, Texas. Hot 90-degree-plus weather is also forecast for parts of southern California Monday, where powerful northeast Santa Ana winds gusting to more than 80 m.p.h. are spreading more than a dozen wildfires.
--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.
