Dear Tom,
What was Chicago’s weather like the last time Easter fell on its earliest possible date: March 22? William Runyon, Downers Grove
Dear William,
March 22 is the earliest possible date for Easter, but the last time the holiday occurred that early was back in 1818–more than 52 years before the start of Chicago weather records in late 1870. Furthermore, the holiday will not occur that early again until 2285. The earliest Easter since the advent of Chicago’s weather records was in 1913 when Easter Sunday fell on March 23, a day that turned out to be mild and stormy. After an early morning low of 34(degrees), temperatures rose steadily through the day as a warm front accompanied by more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms approached the city. The temperature finally peaked at 64(degrees) just before the holiday ended at midnight Sunday night.
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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.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
