On average (Midway Airport data, 1928-2005), Chicago’s temperatures surge to 90 (degrees) or higher on 24 days during the year, and ten of them have usually occurred by today’s date. The 2006 tally, with only five 90 (degrees) days through July 12, is lagging well behind the climatological expectation. In years with a comparable number of 90 (degrees) days through the 12th of July, the remainder of the warm season went on to produce an average of 14 additional hot days, for an average warm-season total of 19 days, also well below the expectation of 24 such days. The current 7-day forecast anticipates two additional 90 (degrees) days and computer models suggest the onset of a long-duration heat wave beginning on Friday, July 21.
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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.
