An interesting weather system heading our way

Let me start by saying we should be fine weather wise through the holiday weekend before our weather turns active. A persistent low pressure system that brought parts of Florida upwards of 20 inches of rain over the past week is beginning to lift north and will likely bring us some significant rain Tuesday and especially Wednesday. This storm system does not have truly tropical characteristics but it does have a lot of moisture.

On the bright side we finally have seen a week of dry weather giving everything a chance to dry out, also it looks like conditions will improve again by next weekend. Have a great Memeorial Day weekend.

                                          Phil

IT'S OFFICIAL...UNOFFICIALLY...PART 2

BTW...In case any of you were wondering the opinions expressed in IT'S OFFICIAL...UNOFFICIALLY are those of Tracy.

IT'S OFFICIAL...UNOFFICIALLY....

This weekend is called the "unofficial start to summer."  Temperature-wise we could have started saying that earlier this week with our high temperatures in the 80s.  And while it really felt a lot like beach weather, this weekend will not offer us the same warmth.  I have always found Labor Day weekend weather to be more "reliable and certainly warmer" than Memorial Day weekend weather.  But, it's not going to be that bad at all this weekend.  We have the potential for some thunderstorms late Saturday afternoon, but it appears that Monday evening thru Wednesday could spell the return of wet weather. 

With all that said, I do hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend.  To all those who are serving and whom have served our country, my personal salute to you and my thanks for your service. 

Weekend frost causing damage to some annuals???

Early Sunday morning the mercury dipped into the low to mid 30s and while these readings are above freezing this doesn't mean it wasn't cold enough for widespread frost. The air temperature is measured about 6 feet above the ground where it might be several degrees warmer than it is at ground level. 

 Widespread frost was reported from the northern suburbs into Northwest Indiana and while readings were only briefly down around freezing some of the more delicate plants were probably damaged. For those who like warm weather we have a legitimate shot at 80° on Wednesday.

 The biggest change this upcoming week is that for the most part it will be dry. There is only an outside chance of a shower on Tuesday with a better chance of rain by next Sunday.

  Phil

ENOUGH ALREADY

Greetings, all!  Please forgive me for not writing for such a long, long time.  I'll put together my list of excuses in my next blog.  Today, I want to focus on the rain...although I wish I didn't have to.  This is going to be a rainy Friday in Chicago.  Unfortunately, because of the heavy rain earlier this week, this rain is not welcome at all.  Illinois farmers are in a bind and I have to acknowledge my pal, Max Armstrong at WGN Radio, for keeping me posted on those reports.  Here was one of his latest statements to me.

"10% complete compares with 84% on average for corn planting in Illinois by this day. Nationwide, the progress now is 48%...way behind the average of 71%."  

Thank you, Max.  Only 10% has been planted.  That is terrible and my heart goes out to so many farmers. 

Expect conditionst to be just mainly wet today.  At this point, I don't think there will be much in the way of severe weather in our area.  If there are any severe thunderstorms, they would be mainly this evening.  But for most of us, it's just going to be a soggy Friday.    I will write more tomorrow.

Tracy

Spring season about to bring some active weather

We haven't had to deal with much in the way of severe weather this spring but that is about to change. A strong west to east jet stream will move across the area tomorrow accompanied by a southerly wind at and near the suface. This change in wind direction with height ( wind shear) could lead to some severe thunderstorms tomorrow evening and again by the weekend.

The one thing that could inhibit severe storms from forming tomorrow will be left over clouds from some early morning rain and thunderstorms. If the sun breaks out tomorrow afternoon temperatures will climb in to the 70s making the atmosphere very unstable. If we don't get any sun then the threat of severe weather will stay to our south.

 In any case we'll be monitoring the situation closely and if any warnings are issued get them immediately on the air. The greatest threat tomorrow will happen between the hours of 4 and 9pm.

Phil

WHAT'S NEXT?....

Greetings on this Monday....After finishing April as the 4th wettest April on record, what could May bring?  Admittedly, I was worried when on Friday, May 1, it just seemed like those showers wouldn't LEAVE!  But they did and we had a beautiful weekend. 

Now...WHAT'S NEXT???  Well, here are some statistics for you.  The average high on May 1 is 64 and the average high by May 31 is 75 degrees.  On the low end, 42 degrees is the average low for May 1 while by May 31, 53 is the average low.  We average 3.38' of rain during the Merry Month of May.  The wettest May on record occurred in 1945 with 7.59" of rain while it was the May of 1992 when we record the least...   .30"  .   Much to the dismay of you snow lovers, we do not average any measurable snowfall during this month! 

Good morning! I heard from my weather watcher, Jim, in Lowell, Indiana this morning.  He has a beautiful farm and told me "you can turn the rain off now.  I need to get my corn in."  Max Armstrong from WGN Radio updated me earlier this week and told me that Illinois and Indiana corn planting is way behind the average.   If you're keeping a scorecard, here is the latest update from the National Weather Service regarding our rain stats! 

Rain, Rain, Go Away! - updated 4/30

It has been a very wet start to the year for Chicago. Officially at O'Hare International Airport, 14.89 inches of rain has been measured from January 1 through 100 p.m. April 30.  This puts 2009 in the top five wettest starts to a year. Here are the five wettest January-April periods in Chicago weather records, which date back to 1871.

1975 16.25 inches

1999 15.35 inches

1909 15.16 inches

2009 14.89 inches

1929 14.49 inches

The rainfall total so far (as of midday on April 30th) for the spring months of March and April was 10.34 inches, which was 4.13 inches above normal for the 2 month period, and almost an inch above the normal of 9.36 for the total 3 month climatological spring - March April and May. This is the third wettest March-April combination on record, behind 1983 with 11.25 inches, and 1947 with 11.02 inches.

Additional rainfall is expected tonight. And if you think has been especially wet lately, you are correct. At least a trace of precipitation has fallen on 12 of the last 13 days.  Chicagoans should get a break from the dismal weather this weekend, but more rain is possible by the middle of next week.

Have a Great Weekend!

Wishing you sunny days,

Tracy