On occasion, extreme weather events occur so gently and so unobtrusively that we fail to notice them. In that vein, Chicagoans will be surprised to learn that they have been experiencing a period of record-setting warmth since Sept. 1.
Meteorological autumn (the months of September, October and November) is now about half completed, and temperatures through the first half of Chicago’s fall season this year have been proceeding at a sizzling pace.
Never in 135 years of weather history (1871 to the present) has the city’s temperature, averaged for the period Sept. 1 through Oct. 13, been warmer than 2005’s value of 68.9 (degrees) as registered at Midway Airport for that 43-day period.
Computer models suggest the mild pattern remains in place in upcoming days. Daily high temperatures will average about 7 degrees above normal through the next week.
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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.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
