Dear Tom,
It officially hit 93(degrees) at O’Hare on Thursday, and in Friday’s paper I see you expect 90(degrees) or higher on each of the next seven days, making eight 90s in a row. Whew!
How often does that happen here?
Ted Torrensce
Dear Ted,
Daily temperature records for O’Hare Airport are available for the 46-year period, 1959-2004, and a computer scan of that data base indicates an eight-day (or longer) string of 90(degrees)-plus readings is a rare but not unprecedented occurrence. It has happened six times in those 46 years.
Two strings were of eight days duration (August 1959 and May 1977); three strings of nine days (July 1980; July 1983 and July-August 1988); and the longest: an incredible run of 10 consecutive days beginning on July 17, 1987. Here are those daily highs: 91(degrees), 91(degrees), 93(degrees), 96(degrees), 93(degrees), 91(degrees), 92(degrees), 92(degrees), 95(degrees) and 90(degrees).
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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.
