Dear Tom,
Has there ever been an April in Chicago that did not register an 80 degree
or higher day?
--James L. Stewart
Dear James,
April usually brings Chicago its first really warm spring weather, but only a
little more than half of the April's here since 1871 have registered an 80
degree or higher temperature. Climatologist Frank Wachowski checked the
record books and found that 77 of the 138 Aprils (56 percent) since 1871 have
recorded 80 degree or higher temperatures. April 1977 holds the record for the
most, with eight, followed by 1915, with seven, and 1896, with six.
The last April failing to reach 80 degrees was in 2000.
Chicago has also recorded some 80 degree temperatures in March. The city's earliest
was an 80 degree high logged on March 3, 1974, and Chicago's warmest March day was
March 29, 1986 when the mercury spiked to 88.
