What is the earliest in the fall or winter that ChicagoOs temperature has dropped to zero or below?
Paul Sarewich, Chicago
Dear Paul,
Our coldest Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, 1950 with a low of –1(degree) turns out to be the earliest zero or below day in Chicago’s history. Morning temperatures hovered near 30(degrees) as snow began. The mercury dropped steadily through the day as two inches of snow fell, and in the late evening as skies cleared, the temperature plunged below zero. The next day, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season was unbelievably frigid. After a morning low of -2(degrees), the mercury could only muster a high of 7(degrees). A third consecutive cold morning followed on Saturday with a low of 0(degrees). Despite that auspicious start, the winter of 1950-51 went on to record a total of just 14 zero or below days, about normal for a Chicago 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.
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