WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2010

WE ARE CLOSING IN...ON 70 DEGREES.  You know what "they" say about March...in like a lion and out like a lamb.  We're going out like a lamb.  And so far the only "April showers" on the schedule are for Saturday and next Tuesday.  Tomorrow, we'll be closing in on 80 degrees.  Add to the warmth, the wind.   Let's all fly a kite...up to the highest heights!  I love Mary Poppins!

Tracy

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010

WHERE DID MARCH GO?  Wow...does it seem to you like March just "blew by."  Well here we are at the end of the month and not a 70-degree temperature has been posted...YET!  The last day of March will bring us the first 70 degree temperature of 2010.  And no foolin'...the first couple days of April will send us near 80 degrees!!!  Yes, in this case, let's round up!  The last time we posted a 70-degree high temperature was on November 8.  Have a great day...dust off the clubs and hit em' straight! 

Tracy

Bright but Brisk

Yes the sun is out, and this time of year that stronger sun angle can usually have a nice effect on temperatures.  Trouble is, the wind is still up (though not like yesterday) and that wind is blowing air right in off the lake. So it's going to remain a cold day despite the late-March sunshine, as highs barely poke into the 40s. Tomorrow we have a good shot at 50+, but the real warmup is still on tap next week.  After a few showers Sunday and a cool Monday, readings will soar into the upper 50s Tuesday, with mid 60s Wednesday and our first 70 of the year in Thursday.  Facebook friends have been kidding me that perhaps since next Thursday is April Fool's Day, all of this 70s talk is but a ruse.  Who... ME?????

Mike

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!!

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!!

Yes, you have heard those word in a Christmas song, but it's LATE MARCH! All of our observations reported temperatures in the 20s this morning and quite a few on the lower end, with wind chills in the teens. And while that is cold, it's not a record. Back in 1873, our low dropped to SEVEN DEGREES on this very date! So, I guess we should be grateful it only dropped to 27 degrees this morning! March always has so much "potential" for all kinds of weather. That's what makes this month so exciting, especially in Chicago! And next week, we have potential for more 40s, 50s and 60s. And come April, 70s! In fact, it looks like right at the start, April 1, we may have some 70s! Have a wonderful weekend!

Tracy

Tracy Butler
ABC7 Meteorologist

Howling Winds Today

A cold front is slicing through the Chicago area, causing temperatures to tumble from morning highs in the 40s into the mid 30s.  Tonight, lows will plunge into the lower 20s, a harsh reminder that it is still March in Chicago.  Add to the thermal decline gusty northeast winds of up to 40 mph, and you've got the recipe for a raw day.  At least rainfall has been less and farther south than expected, so we've missed out on the worst of the wet side of the storm system. So let's move into the weekend forecast.  After a sunnier but chilly day tomorrow, Saturday looks quite nice, with highs in the 50s and a good deal of sunshine.  Sunday features a visit from another storm system, which also appears headed farther south.  If this trend holds, those of you south of I-80 might see a few showers, while the city and northern burbs get nada.  Beyond Sunday, next week looks terrific.  A massive ridge of high pressure will dominate the nation's mid section, leading to a full-bodied warmup here.  The year's first 70 is likely next Thursday.

Mike

THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010

IT'S COLD!!!  Expect a blustery day today with wind gusts between 20 and 35 mph at times.  Temperatures this afternoon will be falling  into the 30s and wind chills will be in the 20s!  Expect overnight lows tonight in the teens well away from the city and officially at O'Hare we should post a low in the low 20s!  But all signs are pointing to a warm up next week, when many are off for SPRING BREAK!  How about that...it may feel like spring in Chicago during spring break for some!

Tracy

70 Degrees in SIght

...and by that, I mean right here in Chicago!  Let's get through the next few days first.  This afternoon, a few sprinkles are possible as the very dry low-level atmosphere begins to saturate from top down. The main rain still looks like a Thursday event to me, with the bulk of the heavier totals falling south of I-88.  While a few snowflakes might mix in at the end of the event tomorrow night, it does not look to be a big deal.  Winds will be up tomorrow, and temperatures throught Friday will be chilly.  Saturday brings the return of 50s, in advance of the next storm system which will rain on us Sunday.  Once again, a few flakes are possible as colder air wraps in behind the storm.  After a cold Monday, all signs are now pointing to a robust warmup which could propel highs to the 70-degree mark by the middle or end of next week. We haven't been in that thermal territory since last November.

Mike

2 More Snows This Week?

What a gorgeous day today! Temperatures range from the 40s near the lake, to 60+ well inland as of 3pm.  But changes are a brewin'!  Tomorrow, highs will be restricted to the lower 50s, with even colder air filtering in Thursday and Friday.  On Thursday, moisture will be moving in from the south, first as rain, then possibly changing over to snow as the colder air plunges in from the north.  Then we have the previously-advertised system for Sunday, which still looks like a rain to snow event here.  Long-range computer models are at odds as to how cold it will get here early next week.  I think a piece of cold air WILL get in here, holding highs in the 40s at best Monday and Tuesday. 

Mike

Not Done with the Snow Yet!

OK... that's not really earth-shattering news in Chicago for March 22.  Accumulating snows are not uncommon in April.  And I'm sure Saturday's slushfest, while well advertised here on ABC, was a largely unpopular event.  So what's all this hoopla about MORE snow?  Let me begin by saying that from this range, the next "flaker" looks minimal.  Sunday will bring a storm system into the Midwest, and the temperature profile of the atmosphere looks warm enough to support rain at the outset, with a changeover to snow before exiting.  This past weekend, the thermal structure was supportive of an almost entirely snowy event.  In short, snow is likely to fall Sunday night.  Accumulations of any great consequence are unlikely. 

Tomorrow looks fantastic with highs between 55-60.  But in the weather office, I should tell you the talk is likely to be split between meteorology and dance-ology.  Tracy and I are devoted DWTS fans and the new season premiers tonight.  I have made no secret of my pre-season prediction that Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough will be hoisting the trophy overhead later this Spring.  You can follow our reviews on Facebook,  so expect some chatter by tomorrow morning on my page!

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY SPRING!   Winter sure did try to hold on as spring swung in over the weekend.  But, we have blasted the winter weather out, at least for this first full week of spring. 

And tonight we "spring" onto the dance floor...well kind of sort of...the premiere of this season's Dancing With the Stars is tonight right here on ABC7 at 7pm!  Eager to see who the frontrunners will be after this first week of fancy, or maybe not so fancy, footwork. 

Tracy