No hot weather through the weekend

Talking to several people it seems like folks are divided into 2 camps: those who are loving the mild weather and those that want some summertime heat. Personally, I am enjoying the weather this summer but wouldn't mind a day or two around 90. Temperatures have been at or below normal every day this month but two. The two days we saw temperatures above normal in July it was by a mere one degree. Watching my son's ballgame last night I actually needed a sweatshirt and by this morning the temperature has dropped to a nippy 55°.

 Though we should make it into the upper 80s on Wednesday, significantly cooler air will return Thursday and stay with us through the weekend. The average high is now up to 84° which is as high as it gets around here. If you want hot weather you can either head towards Oklahoma or Texas where highs the past several days have been well over 100° or go to Fairbanks, Alaska which will see temperatures in the mid 80s today.

                                                 Phil

Mid-summer drought????

Since June 20th, big chunks of Chicagoland have suffered a pronounced dry spell. A few storms peppered the area Friday into Saturday, but the 1"+ rain per week needed to keep plants going has been lacking of late.  A new round of storms threatens tomorrow night into Wednesday morning, but new computer guidance hints at the ol' Chicago split... with a blob of raining splitting way north, and another shooting into central IL.  What's more, long range guidance from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center suggests drier than normal weather is likely for the next two weeks at least. As wet as the year began in Chicago, it will be interesting to see whether the pattern flip holds.  Much of central Wisconsin is now in a bona-fide drought, and the area has been expanding.  Stay tuned!

Pleasant start to the week

Monday kicks off the week with mostly to partly sunny skies.  A ripple in the upper air flow is producing a mid deck of clouds and might even sprinkle on a few areas southwest of Chicago, but most areas stay dry all day.  Tomorrow is another story.  A stronger storm system moves in from the northwest and threatens storms mainly overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.  Those storms could be strong, so stay tuned for possible watches tomorrow night.  Until then, enjoy the pleasant temps and low humidity!

Mike

Great video of 2008 McHenry County Twister

Youtube has great video of the January 7th, 2008 tornado which ripped through Boone and McHenry Counties. Watch the derailment, then the hazardous containers come flying into the engine afterwards.  Amazing stuff!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azV5bC2br-Q

Space Station fly overs

The International Space Station, or ISS, is making a series of prominent fly overs for midwestern skywatchers for the next week and beyond.  I watched it last night through a stinging cloud of female mosquitos and it was spectacular, arcing from the southwest toward the east.  It shone nearly as brghtly as the planet Venus, and was one of several visible passes last night.  Not all are as bright or in that direction, but you can find out exactly when the ISS will be visible in your town by signing up at http://www.heavens-above.com/ and plugging in your zip code.  Following a minute or so behind the ISS is another dimmer satellite, the Russian Progress-M 02.  I'll talk a little more about these passes on the 4pm news this afternoon, but the linked website is the way to go!  Happy sky gazing!

Mike

Building warmth later this week

Look for plenty of sun today, and temps warming into the low 80s away from the lake.  However, like yesterday, a few isolated t'showers may briefly affect the area this afternoon as a cold front drops in from Wisconsin.  Temperatures behind the front will be a few degrees cooler tomorrow, which will feature another chance of scattered thunderstorms.  All signs point to rebounding temps after that, with highs near 90 possible Thursday and Friday.  Rainfall from weekend showers was greatest in areas south and west of the city as expected, but the duration of rainfall was certainly longer than we thought for Saturday. O'Hare ended up with about 1/4" total,  Joliet had about 3 times that amount, while Waukegan had barely a trace.

Mike

More like summer but no intense heat

For the first time this month we actually reached 80° on Sunday. This is still 3 degrees below our normal high which is now 83°. For seven consecutive days we have seen below normal temperatures and even though we will warm up a bit for Monday cooler weather will return for Tuesday and Wednesday.

 Interesting weather set-up for Tuesday night and Wednesday. A warm front will stall just to our south and should help to produce some pretty significant rainfall late Tuesday night into early Wednesday. This has the potential to produce the heaviest rainfall since June 19th. There will also be a large range in temperatures on Wednesday from the lower 70s along the North Shore to the upper 80s in Lasalle and Kankakee counties.

By the end of the week we should all warm into the 80s and at least for now much of next weekend looks dry.

Phil

More sun and even warmer today

As predicted, yesterday offered the Chicago area several hours of partly sunny skies. Both O'Hare and Midway reported 8 hours or more of broken skies during the day allowing temps to climb into the 70s.  Today, morning clouds will scatter out and temperatures will hit 80 or better in most locations. A slight on shore wind may hold temps in the 70s near the lake. The bigger question is how far north rain will advance with a disturbance rolling into Central Illinois latr tonight.  We'll have the latest on that on ABC-7 news!

Mike

Welcome to Seattle

Annual rainfall averages more in Chicago than Seattle, but it rains more often there.  This is what it looks like a good deal of the time up there in the verdant Northwest. Cool, damp, and grey.  Our highs in the 60s are more befitting early October than the first day of July.  At least the upper low that's been spinning over the upper Great Lakes the past few days is finally inching east, and gradually overnight, the clouds will begin to break up from the west.  Tomorrow will boast much more sunshine and a 10-degree warm up.  As for the holiday, all signs point to dry weather weather for fireworks Friday and Saturday, and highs both days in the lower 80s.  One note... even on the heels of the 7th wettest June on record in Chicago, many gardens have seen less than 1/2" rain over the past 10 days.  If you have new plantings, don't forget to keep them watered, especially new trees.  The plants generally need an inch of water per week, and if you get 4" in one day, it doesn't mean the garden is fine for the next 4 weeks. 

Mike

THANK YOU...

Penny, Brian and Jen.  Thank you for your comments.  I said to a friend this morning, "I hate this weather."  I don't want to have to wear a sweatshirt in July.  My children want to swim.  Their mommy will not let them swim when it is in the mid 60s outside.  Many children have been complaining about this weather.  After all, the weather affects us all and they too are entitled to their opinions.  But I do, I really do see a change in the works.  Not for the hot, but a change for "closer to normal."  Tomorrow we should at least crack 70 and Friday, we should at least hit 80.  How does that sound? 

For the record, the record low high temperature for today is 61 degrees set back in 1924.  Our current temperature at O'Hare is 63 degrees.  For what it's worth, we didn't break a record.  But, it's chilly!  I hope you have a wonderful and safe and comfortable July 4th weekend.

Tracy