Only a week ago, Chicago’s first official 70-degree temperature of the year arrived
three weeks late. In a dramatic temperature turnaround, including four subsequent
70-degree days—including Tuesday’s 74-degree high—it appears the year’s first 80-
degree day may be only two days away. If all goes as predicted, an 80-degree high
could be on the books here by Friday’s close. Weather history here reveals that
shouldn’t come as a major surprise. An 80-degree day has already occurred by this
date the last seven years. Eighty years of weather observations at Midway Airport
indicate the city typically records its first 80-degree reading on or about April 23.
With just a week to run, April—which started off incredibly chilly—has turned the
corner. A succession of mild temperatures over the last seven days (April 16-22),
which averaged 58.6 degrees, ranks 12th warmest of the last 138 years. The mild
spell has pushed April 2008’s average temperature 6 degrees warmer than a
comparable period a year ago.
HUGE HAIL HITS SOUTHERN PLAINS
Of Tuesday’s 100 reports of severe weather, 90 involved large hail. Golf ball-size
hailstones broke windows and dented cars in Billings in southwest Missouri.
