Despite several rounds of showers and thunderstorms that brought significant rainfall
totals to the metropolitan area, Chicagoans still had enough sunny and dry hours to
salvage some outdoor activities on a warm, muggy midsummer weekend.
The week ahead promises a respite from last week's hot and muggy conditions with
readings most days expected to top out with seasonable highs in the lower 80s coupled
with comfortable humidity levels.
After some lingering showers and thunderstorms move out of the area Monday, dry
conditions are expected to hold until Friday when showers may develop in a surge of
warmth and humidity ahead of an approaching cold front.
ATLANTIC BASIN QUITE ACTIVE
Even though Bertha has lost its tropical characteristics as it heads for Iceland after a
record 17-day trek through the Atlantic, it was still packing 70 m.p.h. winds Sunday
evening. (Bertha set a new record for the longest-lasting tropical storm in July.)
Elsewhere in the tropics, Tropical Storm Dolly appears headed for a rainy rendezvous
with far south Texas by the end of the week, while Tropical Storm Cristobal will lay a
swath of heavy rain as it skirts the Atlantic coast as it heads for Nova Scotia.
--By Steve Kahn, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
