The recent string of cloudy and chilly days following this October’s unseasonably warm open was a reality check for many Chicagoans, reminding them that the seasonal transition into winter is well under way. Chicago is entering the historical window for this area’s growing-season-ending freezes and is only a little more than two weeks away from the Oct. 30 average date of first snow flurries.
However, Chicago’s “fall into winter” will be placed on hold again in the upcoming week as temperatures are expected to rebound to quite mild levels for the season, reaching the lower 70s on at least two occasions.
The warmth will be accompanied by a noticeable increase in humidity and raise the specter of several periods of showers and t-storms that could bring some welcome rainfall to an increasingly parched landscape. Rain has been sparse here since the deluges of August, making this fall the 16th driest here since 1871.
--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.
