A burst of springlike warmth visited the Chicago area Monday treating area residents to the warmest temperatures here in three weeks and the first 60°+ reading this month. Highs soared to 66° at O’Hare and Midway—readings 20° above last year’s 46° high and 17° above normal. It was the warmest Nov. 12 high temp in the 43 years since the 69° high in 1964. Weather records dating back to 1871 reveal only 2% of the area’s annual 60°+ highs have occurred this late in the season, underscoring the unusual nature of Monday’s warmth.
Elevated relative humidities and dew points (a measure of atmospheric moisture) contributed to Monday’s clouds and haze—but went into a dive during the afternoon once a cool front passed. An 11 a.m. dew point of 55° and relative humidity of 77% had crashed to 27° and 34% respectively by 7 p.m. indicating strong post-frontal late day drying.
--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.
