Tim: August 2009 Archives

It was just last week when we lamented the lack of rain from mid-July through mid-August.  The first half of this month started out with about half the rain we normally see.  We made up for that a bit yesterday, some areas more than others.  O'Hare's .31" or rain yesterday brings the months total to 1.91".  That's better but still about an inch below average for the month so far.

Here are some heavier rainfall amounts from Wednesday according to our WeatherBug network:

1.90"  Flossmoor

1.11"  University Park

1.00'  Burlington

.98"   Markham

However, the rain was accompanied by some severe weather.  Spotters reported tornadoes near Elburn and Chesterton.  There were almost a dozen tornadoes reported across the midwest according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. 

We are not out of the woods yet.  The SPC has a portion of our area outlooked for a slight risk of severe weather today.

Smooth sailing today with more sun & less humidity.  Tomorrow is another story.  The Storm Prediction Center has outlooked the southern half of our area for a slight risk of severe weather.  A warm front will be pushing northward toward Chicago during the afternoon and good trigger some strong storms.

Snakes, not storms, are the problem down in Texas.  The southern third of Texas is in an "extreme" to "exceptional" drought.  There has been an increase in poisonous snake bites that may be attributed to the dry conditions.  It seems the snakes normal sources of hydration have evaporated so they now are venturing onto watered lawns.  A rattlesnake can bite twice.  There is the initial bite then the bite in the wallet.  A vile of antivenom can cost over $1000.

One good byproduct of our cool summer is a relatively quiet severe weather season.  According to the Storm Prediction Center, there have been 21 deaths from tornadoes so far this year.  That compares to 122 at this point last year.

It was two years ago that an EF5 tornado struck Greensburg, Kansas.  The storm decimated the town.  To view a full length documentary on the Greensburg tornado, check this out.

It may seem like we skipped summer this year.  We have had only three days so far with highs in the 90s.  This July ranked as the second coolest since the official weather station for Chicago moved inland from the lakefront in 1942. 

Summer will surge back though this weekend.  If we hit the predicted 95 on Saturday, that would make it the hottest day since August 2nd, 2006 when O'Hare hit 97.

Today won't be quite as hot but it could be the warmest day since June 25th when we hit 94.

For more information on how to handle the upcoming mini-heat wave, click here.