A new blast of arctic air is on the way -- a cold spell expected to reactivate the lake-
snow machine in parts of Indiana and Michigan on Thursday into Friday while sending
flurries fluttering in Chicago at times. But the new chill won't hit right away. Wednesday's
gusty southwest winds will help boost temperatures -- even if modestly -- sending
thermometer readings 11 degrees above Tuesday's levels.
The sprawling cold air mass set to dive south out of Canada is to send the week's
second wave of sub-freezing temperatures to the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida
peninsula by the weekend. The first wave of cold air there prompted hard freeze
warnings across north Florida overnight where lows in the 20s were predicted. Wind
chill advisories extended south to Orlando and Daytona Beach.
Record warmth continued Tuesday in the Plains and West. Chinook winds, which
compress and warm as they plunge out of the mountains, sent the temperature urging
in Rapid City, S.D. surging from a 22-degree low early Tuesday to a record breaking
79-degree high.
Other records out West included Phoenix and Los Angeles at 88 degrees.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
