Even though autumn begins Monday at 10:44 a.m., Chicagoans will enjoy at least another week of summery weather. Highs should be close to 80 degrees on most days in a week that promises to be mainly sunny and dry. Rain chances increase as cold fronts approach late Tuesday and over the weekend, but with limited moisture any precipitation should be light, continuing the dry pattern that has followed in the wake of last weekend's deluges.
Sunday opened dreary with some clouds and fog, but conditions quickly improved as clouds thinned, paving the way for a sunny 80-degree afternoon. Such was not the case in areas far south and west of Chicago where afternoon thunderstorms brought brief soaking downpours. Downstate Ottawa was doused by 1.3 inches of rain in just 30 minutes, while torrential rain near Fowler in northwest Indiana prompted a flash flood warning.
PUERTO RICAN RAINS COULD SPELL TROUBLE FOR ATLANTIC SEABOARD
Heavy rains are accompanying a tropical disturbance near Puerto Rico. Computer forecasts show this system strengthening into a tropical storm (Kyle) that could impact the East Coast later this week.
--By Steve Kahn, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
