Dear Tom,
It seems like it is always cooler near the lake. Is that a true statement?
— Tanya G., Lake Bluff
Dear Tanya,
Is it not. Although lake breezes frequently bring cooler weather to lakeside locations, especially in the spring, there are many days when they do not develop.
When the weather patterns dictate moderate to strong offshore winds, the lake breeze will not develop. The air moving across the city’s urban heat island absorbs warmth and often delivers the highest temperatures at the lakeshore.
On July 6, 2012, when the temperature at O’Hare International Airport was 103, Northerly Island sizzled at 105. At night, city lakefront temperatures are often the highest in the metro area, a result of the heat retained by the city’s vast expanse of concrete and asphalt. In winter, lakefront areas are frequently the warmest, as onshore flow brings warmth from the lake’s 32-degree-plus water inland.
