Dear Tom,
Chicago’s temperatures jump all over the place, but what daily high temperature occurs most often? And what about the lows?
— Pam Tellock
Dear Janice,
To find the answer, we scanned the entire Midway Airport temperature-data set from Jan. 1, 1929, through Dec. 31, 2007 — a period of 79 years made up of 28,854 days. The results might surprise you.
As determined by the Midway data, Chicagoans experience daily high temperatures in 80s more frequently than any other 10-degree interval and nighttime low temperatures most frequently in the 30s.
The most commonly occurring specific high temperature is 80 degrees (registered on 569 days) followed by 78 degrees (533 days), and the most frequently occurring low is 32 degrees (634 days) followed by 31 degrees (602 days).
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Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or: asktomwhy@wgntv.com
Weather Report is prepared by the WGN-TV Weather Center, where Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN News at noon, 5:55 p.m. and 9 p.m.
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