Cold weather doesn’t bother me until it goes down to 0 (degrees). We will be vacationing in Los Angeles after Dec. 31, so what is my chance of seeing a 0 (degrees) day between now and then?
Marv Pekota, Chicago
Dear Marv,
Midway Airport temperature statistics suggest you have a one-in-three chance of experiencing a 0 (degrees) reading (or lower) at least once in the 14-day period from Dec. 18 through Dec. 31. That’s the result of a computer sweep of the entire 77-year history of Midway temperature data (1928-2004).
However, the statistics also show that when December starts as cold as this one has, the sub-normal chill usually persists through the latter portion of the month as well. In those cases, the likelihood of a 0 (degrees) reading increases to seven chances in 10.
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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.
