By Sunday, when south winds bring 80s to the Chicago area, the chilly easterly winds
predicted to produce the month's ninth high below 60 degrees Friday will be a memory.
Only five other Mays over the last half century (since 1958) have produced as many or
more days this cool.
When it comes to early season warm weather, easterly winds are truly the bane of May
here, blowing 50 percent of the time off Lake Michigan's chilly waters. There's been
only one 80-degree high this month back on May 6. Only 11 years since 1928 in the
city have had so few 80s.
Dramatic changes loom here. From early Saturday's isolated mid 30s in the coolest
outlying locations -- temperatures low enough to produce a bit of patchy frost toward
the Fox Valley and areas far west -- warming begins in Saturday's nearly unlimited
sunshine. And by Sunday, powerful south winds and surging humidities should push
temperatures well into the 80s.
PLAINS HIT BY DEADLY SEVERE WEATHER; MORE ON THE WAY THERE
The western Plains were punished by waves of powerhouse thunderstorms responsible
for at least three dozen reports of twisters. At least one turned deadly at Windsor, Colo.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
