Dear Tom,
What does a cool October say about the following November? Here's hoping your crystal ball can offer some good news.
Doug Geist
Dear Doug,
Indeed it can. A review of Chicago's historical October and November temperature data indicates that far below-normal temperatures in the Oct. 1-19 period (such as we have experienced this year) do not carry into November. A sharp temperature turnaround usually occurs.
This year, October's temperatures (through the 19th) have averaged 46.9 degrees -- 8.0 degrees below normal -- and that is the chilliest Oct. 1-19 in the 51 years for which temperature data are available at O'Hare International Airport.
We looked at November temperatures following ten comparably chilly Oct.1-19 periods. The good news is that temperatures in nine of those ten Novembers were at or above normal.
What does a cool October say about the following November? Here's hoping your crystal ball can offer some good news.
Doug Geist
Dear Doug,
Indeed it can. A review of Chicago's historical October and November temperature data indicates that far below-normal temperatures in the Oct. 1-19 period (such as we have experienced this year) do not carry into November. A sharp temperature turnaround usually occurs.
This year, October's temperatures (through the 19th) have averaged 46.9 degrees -- 8.0 degrees below normal -- and that is the chilliest Oct. 1-19 in the 51 years for which temperature data are available at O'Hare International Airport.
We looked at November temperatures following ten comparably chilly Oct.1-19 periods. The good news is that temperatures in nine of those ten Novembers were at or above normal.
