The last vestiges of the mega-rain producing storm which walloped the area with 2 to 4 inch rains Thursday night and Friday aren't long for the Chicago area Saturday. The cloudy, sporadically drizzly weather with which the day opens gives way to brightening skies toward midday and some welcome sunshine Saturday afternoon. Temperatures, which peaked for a time in the 60s Friday -- 61 at O'Hare and 62 at Midway -- will average 12 degrees cooler Saturday and may have trouble breaking out of the upper 40s in some areas.
October rainfall, typically just 2.71", is running twice the normal pace in the city -- but has totaled as much as 7.62" at south suburban Flossmoor, 7.28" at Hebron, Ind., and 6.79" at Glenview. All the wet weather this month makes October 2009 among the wettest of the past 139 years. The 4.15" at O'Hare is the 13th wettest to date since 1871; Midway's up to 4.80" -- and there's still a week to go. Rain has fallen on 17 of the month's opening 24 days -- that's 71 percent of them!
It was snow -- not rain -- which fell on the departing storm's backside in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin Friday. Stewartville, Minn., was hit with 4.2" while Rochester was whitened by a 3" snow pack and Eau Claire, Wis., was hit by 2".
Next wet storm could warm Chicago mid-week before a Halloween weekend temp crash
A disturbance due to sweep into the area Sunday brings clouds and a few possible mainly afternoon sprinkles -- with a better chance of showers Sunday night into Monday. But it's Wednesday and Thursday which sees a broad fetch of gusty south winds make their way into the area as a storm develops in the Texas Panhandle Wednesday and lifts into the Great Lakes Thursday and Friday, inducing warmer temperatures. The set-up could even support gusty thunderstorms Thursday.
The system's progress will have to be monitored: A bit of sunshine or a slowdown in its northeast trek across the Heartland could permit temperatures to become even warmer than the 60s now indicated to occur. Weather history shows 80 percent of the final weeks of October have produced 60s and 45 percent have hosted 70s.
October rainfall, typically just 2.71", is running twice the normal pace in the city -- but has totaled as much as 7.62" at south suburban Flossmoor, 7.28" at Hebron, Ind., and 6.79" at Glenview. All the wet weather this month makes October 2009 among the wettest of the past 139 years. The 4.15" at O'Hare is the 13th wettest to date since 1871; Midway's up to 4.80" -- and there's still a week to go. Rain has fallen on 17 of the month's opening 24 days -- that's 71 percent of them!
It was snow -- not rain -- which fell on the departing storm's backside in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin Friday. Stewartville, Minn., was hit with 4.2" while Rochester was whitened by a 3" snow pack and Eau Claire, Wis., was hit by 2".
Next wet storm could warm Chicago mid-week before a Halloween weekend temp crash
A disturbance due to sweep into the area Sunday brings clouds and a few possible mainly afternoon sprinkles -- with a better chance of showers Sunday night into Monday. But it's Wednesday and Thursday which sees a broad fetch of gusty south winds make their way into the area as a storm develops in the Texas Panhandle Wednesday and lifts into the Great Lakes Thursday and Friday, inducing warmer temperatures. The set-up could even support gusty thunderstorms Thursday.
The system's progress will have to be monitored: A bit of sunshine or a slowdown in its northeast trek across the Heartland could permit temperatures to become even warmer than the 60s now indicated to occur. Weather history shows 80 percent of the final weeks of October have produced 60s and 45 percent have hosted 70s.
Leave a comment