It's one of our oldest temperature records... 63 degrees on February 10, 1876... and it may be erased tomorrow.
Unseasonable warmth driven in part by gusty south winds will pump the mercury into the 60s. Helping push the numbers even higher will be abundant sunshine, especially in the afternoon. The warm blast won't last long, however. On Wednesday, a storm system now bringing welcome rains to California will swing into the area with widespread rain and embedded thunderstorms. Rainfall totals could be locally heavy, particularly in the far southern portions of Chicagoland, so flooding concerns will be closely monitored in this area.
Behind that storm will be a shot of "colder" air which could briefly change the rain into snow before ending Thursday morning. But this brand of cold is merely a return to more typical mid-February temps... highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s.
Mike caplan
