The chill which hit late last week—the first extended spell of cool weather this autumn—cleared the Chicago area Monday allowing temps to surge into the 70s—levels to which they’ll return Wednesday, Thursday and again Sunday. Monday’s 74° at O’Hare and 77° at Midway marked the ninth time this month the mercury has reached or exceeded 70°-—more than the 137 year average of eight 70s in a full October. By comparison, half that number-—only five 70s—had occurred last year through October 16. The first half of the month is 10.3° warmer than the same period a year ago.
The warmth is just part of an autumn which has been extraordinarily dry. It’s allowed farmers to proceed with this fall’s harvest ahead of schedule. Veteran Will County farmer John Hazzard reports that he was able to bring in nearly 200 bushels per acre. That’s far more than the usual 160-180 bushels per acre. Good weather, John reports, went a long way toward making it happen.
--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.
