Saturday's sunshine gave residents across northern metropolitan Chicago a chance to recover from the flooding rains and damaging winds that swept through the area Friday afternoon. Commonwealth Edison expects power to be fully restored today to all of the 120,000 households that lost electric service. Having dealt with periods of swollen rivers, impassible roads and flooded basements literally since September, 2008, waterlogged Chicagoans are increasingly voicing sentiments like, "Enough, already!" Nothing would please them more than a couple weeks of sunny, rain-free days.
The "Ring of Fire"
Unfortunately, an extended period of dry weather is not in the picture. A massive "dome" of very warm, humid air sprawling across the south half of the nation is expected to remain in place for several days. Chicago sits in a turbulent boundary zone at the northern periphery of that heat dome -- within a meteorological "ring of fire" that is a fertile breeding ground for thunderstorms.
The "Ring of Fire"
Unfortunately, an extended period of dry weather is not in the picture. A massive "dome" of very warm, humid air sprawling across the south half of the nation is expected to remain in place for several days. Chicago sits in a turbulent boundary zone at the northern periphery of that heat dome -- within a meteorological "ring of fire" that is a fertile breeding ground for thunderstorms.
