Temperatures on Chicago's North Shore failed to break out of the 40s Thursday. Such
readings are more typical of late March than May. Wilmette topped out at just 48
degrees while Highland Park struggled to 49 degrees and Glencoe only made it to 50
degrees. Chicago's official 59-degree high at O'Hare International Airport was 8
degrees below normal and a far cry from an 82-degree high only a year earlier. It
marked the chilliest May 8 high here since the 51-degree high for the date 24 years
ago in 1984.
The cool weather continues Friday beneath increasing clouds and ahead of an
approaching disturbance that could spark a shower in spots late Friday.
LATEST SOAKER HITS DOWNSTATE
Unwelcome rains drenched the southern Midwest on Thursday. As much as 1.59
inches fell at Freeburg while 1.54 inches was measured at Flora—both east of St.
Louis in Downstate Illinois. The same storm spawned half a dozen twisters across
Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. Meantime, still another storm entering the
western Plains produced 68,000-foot-tall thunderstorms responsible for 70 m.p.h.
gusts at Lewis in southwest Kansas.
