Chicagoans, who until Wednesday had experienced 23 consecutive days of above normal temperatures, shiver through a third day of 50s Friday. Though the chill is more typical of November than mid-October, it pales in comparison to conditions a year ago when the high struggled to reach 39° and the area was hit by its first measurable snow of the season—0.3” of it.
Though weather records indicate the first three-day string of 50s has historically held off another week, chilly temps aren’t a novelty this early in autumn. Back-to-back highs of 54° or lower—similar to those observed here Wednesday and Thursday—have occurred in 17 of the past 48 years.
Cool as the current air mass is, frost is far from a certainty over much of the metro area given the expectation of high clouds Friday night. NW suburban areas appear at greatest risk for any frost.
-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.
