An October which fails to produce at least one 70-degree temperature is virtually unheard of in Chicago. A 70-degree high high has occurred in 136 of the past 138 Octobers---98.6 percent of them. But this month to date, the highest reading here has been 65 degrees recorded this past Monday. It's a situation in stark contrast to the 84-degree high which occurred a year ago on Oct. 12. This is to change Wednesday. All appears go for a number of afternoon highs across the Chicago area which reach or sneak above 70-degrees amid strengthening south winds. Sunshine will play a role. Just how quickly lingering morning clouds and spotty showers exit the area will be a key in determining precisely how warm afternoon readings here rise. Various indicators suggest an O'Hare high which may peak between 70 to 73-degrees. Late October 70s are not uncommon, having occurred beyond the 21st in 64 percent of years since 1871.
Highs Tuesday, restrained a bit by the arrival of afternoon clouds, still managed to hit 62-degrees at O'Hare and 64-degrees at Midway. Readings in southern sections of the metro area were even higher, reaching 70-degrees at Marseilles and Pontiac and 68-degrees at Kankakee.
Windy, wet late week Chicago storm to include Pacific Hurricane Rick moisture
Wednesday's warm up won't last. A southward plunge of colder air over the Rockies and western Plains is helping spin up a storm expected to arrive with wind and rain here Thursday into Friday. A series of 15 computer rainfall projections puts more than an inch and a half of rain into the area between Thursday and Saturday night and suggest a wind shift to the northeast by Thursday afternoon will send temperatures diving. Of particular interest may be the entrainment of tropical moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Rick---only this past weekend, the second most powerful eastern Pacific hurricane since the 1960s--the storm's sustained weekend winds topped 180 m.p.h.
Highs Tuesday, restrained a bit by the arrival of afternoon clouds, still managed to hit 62-degrees at O'Hare and 64-degrees at Midway. Readings in southern sections of the metro area were even higher, reaching 70-degrees at Marseilles and Pontiac and 68-degrees at Kankakee.
Windy, wet late week Chicago storm to include Pacific Hurricane Rick moisture
Wednesday's warm up won't last. A southward plunge of colder air over the Rockies and western Plains is helping spin up a storm expected to arrive with wind and rain here Thursday into Friday. A series of 15 computer rainfall projections puts more than an inch and a half of rain into the area between Thursday and Saturday night and suggest a wind shift to the northeast by Thursday afternoon will send temperatures diving. Of particular interest may be the entrainment of tropical moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Rick---only this past weekend, the second most powerful eastern Pacific hurricane since the 1960s--the storm's sustained weekend winds topped 180 m.p.h.
