Dear Tom,
What has been the longest string of consecutive days with highs below freezing in Chicago?
Mr. Perez
Scott McLean, Naperville
Dear Mr. Perez and Scott,
Chicago’s longest stretch of days below freezing occurred 31 years ago in what was to be the first of three consecutive severe Chicago winters: the winter of 1976-77. The 43-day string began on Dec. 28, 1976, when the high only reached 26(degrees), and finally ended on Feb. 9, 1977, when the maximum climbed to 42(degrees). The coldest day during the streak was Jan. 16 with a frigid high of -7(degrees) and a low of -19(degrees), and including that day, there were a total of 17 mornings with low temperatures below zero and eight days with single-digit highs. After the string finally broke on Feb. 9, four straight above-freezing days followed, including a balmy 52(degrees) maximum on Feb. 11.
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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.
