After shivering through the longest early season string of days in the 30s since 1991,
Thursday is likely to feel downright mild to many Chicagoans. A pair of 50+-degree
days is predicted Thursday and Friday -- the warmest readings here in a week. Gusty
southwest winds deliver the Pacific origin "warmth" Thursday. A late-day cold front
shifts winds westerly and ignites a period of rain Thursday night. But it's Friday night
when the real meteorological action begins. That's when a second cold front hits with
powerful northwest winds and changes Friday evening rain showers into a wet snow.
Forecast highs of 38 degrees Saturday and 37 on Sunday would make the coming
weekend the chilliest here in the eight months since March 8-9.
Rains Wednesday drenched Indiana and Downstate Illinois, where 1.71 inches fell at
Carmi and 1.34 inches at Mt. Carmel.
PAST 5 DAYS THE CLOUDIEST SPELL HERE IN MORE THAN 9 MONTHS
Not only has it been cold, the past five days have been cloudy. Veteran observer Frank
Wachowski reports that 4 of the past 5 days have been sunless. That period has been
Chicago's cloudiest since Feb. 2 -6.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
