Dear Tom,
My dad says the summer of 1988 had more than 50 days above 90 degrees? Is that true?
–Marc Johnson, Western Springs
Dear Marc,
You dad is almost correct. The summer of 1988 takes the honors for the most 90-degree days–47 officially recorded at O’Hare International Airport–not quite the 50 days your dad indicated. Included in that plethora of 90s were seven 100-degree days. The hot weather began with three straight 90s from May 30-June 1. June went on to record another 13 days of 90 degrees or higher, July tallied 16 days reaching that mark, August had 14 and September logged a lone 90 (Sept. 17). Though the day’s were beastly hot, 1988 was a drought summer with fairly low humidity allowing temperatures to drop at night, with many overnight lows falling into the upper 50s and lower 60s.
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Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or: asktomwhy@wgntv.com
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