Dear Tom,
With this summer being so cool, will the winter have a lot of snow and cold?
Joe Stinnett, New Lenox, Ill.
Dear Joe,
Chicago’s ongoing cool summer–we’re running 3.0 degrees below normal–has many area residents wondering just what that might mean for the upcoming winter. We scanned the entire Midway Airport temperature and snowfall data archive (the 76-year period 1928-2003) to find an answer.
Our computer search identified six summers as cool as this summer. The following winters were milder than normal in three instances and colder than normal in three instances. Three of the following winters brought more snow than normal, three less snow than normal.
We’re left with this conclusion: The occurrence of a summer as cool as the one we’re now experiencing offers no clues to the nature of the following winter.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
