Dear Tom,
The first summer I worked in Chicago was in 1992, and I remember that it was quite cool. How did 1992 compare to other Chicago summers?
Sara Molenda, La Grange
Dear Sara,
The June 15, 1991, cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines sent huge amounts of volcanic ash and dust high into the stratosphere, dimming sunshine and resulting in a planetary-cooling event that lowered global temperatures for more than a year. In Chicago, the summer of 1992 was officially the fourth coolest on record, averaging only 67.1(degrees). June and July were both nearly 4 degrees below normal and August almost 5 degrees. There were only six days in the 90s that summer with the hottest day reaching only 93(degrees). But the summer’s most striking feature was the cool nights with the warmest minimum of the entire year only 70(degrees), finally recorded at O’Hare on Sept. 16.
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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.
