Temperatures are noticeably cooler Tuesday--but the abundance of
sunshine is likely to take at least a bit of the edge off the new surge
of chilly readings for sun-starved Chicagoans who are only three days
beyond the 3rd cloudiest, 9th wettest and 11th coolest October in 139
years of official observations here. The irony of the sun's return is
that it's happening in November--typically the city's second-cloudiest
month, also the month which cools the fastest. The new pattern
delivering the sun pulls a reinforcing shot of cool air into the area
Wednesday into Thursday--and has all but shut down the northward
spread of Gulf moisture responsible for rainfall here 22 of the past 32
days. Several brief showers--possibly coaxed into mixing with a few ice
pellets Wednesday morning as raindrops fall into very dry low-level air
producing evaporation and cooling--may occur Wednesday.
But while 3.85 inches of rain has fallen in the past two weeks here, the coming two weeks are likely to produce only 16 percent as much precipitation--an amount closer to 0.63 inches according to an average of the most recent rainfall projections off one of the National Weather Service's key computer forecast models. It's a development which is music to the ears of area farmers who continue in the midst of the slowest, most vexing harvest season in recent memory. The weekly crop progress report released Monday afternoon by USDA indicates that across the 18 states responsible for 94 percent of this country's corn harvest last season, only 25 percent of this year's corn crop has been harvested compared to the five year average of 71 percent by this date.
Warmth (like this weekend's) still a good bet--though odds slide in November
With strong warming predicted to lock in later this week, the Chicago area appears in line to record its mildest weekend high temperatures in 6 weeks. The warm-up it to include a series of 60s from Friday through next Monday. it's worth noting that a third of years since 1871 have not only managed 60s this late in the season, but have gone on to produce a 70-degree or warmer temperature in the November's opening week. By November's final week, chances for a 70 here slip to near zero.
But while 3.85 inches of rain has fallen in the past two weeks here, the coming two weeks are likely to produce only 16 percent as much precipitation--an amount closer to 0.63 inches according to an average of the most recent rainfall projections off one of the National Weather Service's key computer forecast models. It's a development which is music to the ears of area farmers who continue in the midst of the slowest, most vexing harvest season in recent memory. The weekly crop progress report released Monday afternoon by USDA indicates that across the 18 states responsible for 94 percent of this country's corn harvest last season, only 25 percent of this year's corn crop has been harvested compared to the five year average of 71 percent by this date.
Warmth (like this weekend's) still a good bet--though odds slide in November
With strong warming predicted to lock in later this week, the Chicago area appears in line to record its mildest weekend high temperatures in 6 weeks. The warm-up it to include a series of 60s from Friday through next Monday. it's worth noting that a third of years since 1871 have not only managed 60s this late in the season, but have gone on to produce a 70-degree or warmer temperature in the November's opening week. By November's final week, chances for a 70 here slip to near zero.
