Dear Tom,
Meteorologists always talk about 90 (degrees) days but upper 80s are also hot. How does this year stack up with days of 85 (degrees) or higher?
Mike McNichols Mt. Prospect, Ill.
Dear Mike,
This year has had a lot of days with highs of 85 (degrees) or higher, 52 to be exact, officially at O’Hare compared to only 22 days that reached the 90 (degrees) mark. Since 1871 the city has averaged 38 days annually with highs of at least 85 (degrees), but this number is skewed toward the low end because the first 71 years of data was taken at locations near the lake.
Since 1928 Midway has averaged 53 such days each year while O’Hare’s average since 1959 has been 44. Chicago recorded its most days of 85 (degrees) or higher at Midway during the hot 1950s with a total of 74 days in 1953 and 72 in 1959. The two years with the least number were both pre-1900 with 8 days in 1875 and 9 in 1883.
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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.
