It's been a spring like few others. Warm weather's been in remarkably short supply.
Temperatures just east of Chicago on Friday hit 70 degrees at Valparaiso and 73 degrees
at South Bend. City readings managed to spike briefly to 64 degrees at O'Hare Airport and
65 degrees at Midway Airport -- readings which tied 2008's warmest to date. It marked
only the sixth time since Jan. 1 temperatures here have topped 60 degrees -- short of the
nine 60s considered typical by now. At Midway Airport, there have been only 21 years
since 1928 with as few 60s readings at this point in the season. Friday's fleeting warmth
lasted for a few hours. Temperatures by nightfall had plummeted into the 40s -- a dive of
20 degrees in 10 hours.
BLIZZARD PARALYZES UPPER MIDWEST
A blizzard Friday crippled the Upper Midwest. Duluth, Minn., with 62 m.p.h. gusts and
whiteout conditions, ground to a standstill. Snow there stood 10 inches deep by nightfall
with up to 15 inches just to the north -- and snow was still falling. In addition, four
dozen twisters were among the week's U.S. severe weather reports this week.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
