Dear Tom,
Did this summer crack the top 10 of coolest summers in Chicago?
–Tim Guimond
Dear Tim,
This summer was cool, with just four official days in the 90s and about triple the typical number of sub-70-degree days; but not only did it not crack the top 10, it didn’t even make the top 20. The summer of 2009, with its average temperature of 69.2 degrees, goes into the record books as the city’s 21st coolest and the coolest since 2004 (68.6 degrees). Chicago recorded its all-time coolest summer in 1875 (66.6 degrees) at a time when the official thermometer was located downtown near Lake Michigan. In fact, 16 of the 20 cooler summers were recorded before the official thermometer was moved to a warmer inland location in 1942. Since that time, only the summers of 1982, 1985, 1992 and 2004 have been chillier than this past summer.
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Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or: asktomwhy@wgntv.com
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