The city's snowpack, which has covered the ground for more than a month, all but vanished Saturday as the mercury soared into the 50s, bringing the warmest weather here since late December. O’Hare reached 56 degrees and Midway 59, but strong southwest winds sent the mercury to 61 degrees along the lakefront at Northerly Island.The city's official thermometer at O'Hare reached 56 degrees falling short of the day's official record high of 59 set back in 1925, but Midway observer Frank Wachowski tells us that Midway Airport peaked at a balmy 59 degrees establishing a new record high for that site, eclipsing the old record of 53 set in 1965 and tied in 1987. Records tumbled elsewhere around the state including Peoria (65), Springfield (67), Rockford (52) and St. Louis (70).
Cooler weather will return Monday with readings only reaching the lower 40s, but temps rebound sharply on Tuesday as gusty southwest winds should have the city flirting with 60 degrees. The warmth will be followed by some heavy rainfall and even some thunderstorms Wednesday, which combined with added moisture from the melting snow and ice could result in flooding on area streams and rivers.
WINTER RETURNS BY WEEK'S END
Colder air will flood into the region in the wake of the storm, setting the stage for more snow as a series of storm systems parade through the southern states. The first of these could arrive Saturday, making for a snowy Valentine's Day.
--By Steve Kahn, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
