Dear Tom,
How far south of Chicago would you have to go to get a December mean temperature to match Midway’s 2006 value of 37.1(degrees)?
James A. Flavin
Dear James,
December 2006, with an average temperature of 37.1(degrees), was a very mild month in Chicago. That 37.1(degrees) average tied 1982 for the warmest December ever at Midway Airport since weather records began there in 1928. That monthly average was 8.2(degrees) above the normal December temperature of 28.9(degrees), and comparable to December weather about 400 miles south of Chicago near the south tip of Illinois, where Cairo’s normal is 37.9(degrees) and nearby Paducah, Ky.’s is 36.9(degrees). Of course, those areas also experienced a very mild December. Paducah’s December 2006 average of 42.8(degrees) was nearly 6 degrees above normal and comparable to a December at Memphis, Tenn.
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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.
