Bill Snyder

Recent Articles

  • Excessive Heat Warning issued for Thursday through Saturday

    CHICAGO —Dangerous heat is coming to the Chicago area. An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued from noon Thursday until late Saturday. Counties include Cook, Kane, DuPage, Kankakee, Grundy, Kendall, Will in Illinois and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana. The National Weather Service reports, “a multiple-day episode of dangerous  heat is expected Thursday through Saturday” and should “peak in intensity on Friday.“ There will be little relief from the heat overnight on Thursday and Friday. A Heat Advisory is […]

  • Dangerous combo of heat and humidity on the way; Heat Watch issued

    CHICAGO — A dangerous combination of heat and humidity is to build into the Chicago area starting Thursday. Thursday morning thunderstorms are possible and then heat will build starting Thursday afternoon. Peak heat indices are to surge into the 105 to 114-degree range Thursday through Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch from Thursday afternoon through Saturday evening. High temps are expected to peak in the 90s each day with upper 90s possible for Friday and […]

  • Dangerous heat: Hottest weather in 7 years on the way

    CHICAGO —Not only will this be the hottest weather of the summer coming later this week it will be the hottest stretch of weather in Chicago of the past seven years! Temperatures could reach or even exceed triple digits by the end of the week.  Chicago has not recorded an official 100-degree temperature since July 4 and 5 2012. Heat is considered dangerous when the temperature/humidity combination produces a  heat index of 105 degrees or higher. Current forecast projections suggest […]

  • Wednesday could be hottest day of 2019 so far

    CHICAGO — Wednesday is shaping up to be the hottest day of 2019. Temperatures are likely to soar well into the 90s in the afternoon. Combined with high levels of humidity, it will produce heat indexes above 100 degrees for many locations. The hot, humid atmosphere will be ripe to produce scattered strong to severe thunderstorms by the evening across 30% to 40% of the metro area. The heaviest storms are capable of large hail and damaging winds. Cooler, less humid air follows […]

  • Mother Nature’s fireworks could impact Fourth of July celebrations

    CHICAGO —Mother Nature may have her own fireworks in mind for the Fourth of July. Weather could play a big factor in Thursday’s celebrations. A hot day will likely give way to drenching thunderstorms that could interfere with plans later Thursday night. Soggy grounds force Oakbrook to cancel their fireworks this year, both Wednesday, and the rain out date, which is Thursday. Some communities, like Park Ridge, had fireworks celebrations Wednesday night. FULL LIST & MAP OF AREA FIREWORKS DISPLAYS […]

  • Frequency of days with precipitation a Chicago first since the  1800s 

    CHICAGO — If it’s been your perception that we have seen an excessive number of days with precipitation, you’re spot on. The total number of days with measurable precipitation (0.01 inches or more) this year through June 27 is nearly unprecedented. You have to go back  to the late 1800s (141 years ago in 1878) to find only one year that matches the total number of rain and or snowy days during the Jan. 1 through June 27period.

  • Frequency of days with precipitation a Chicago first since the late 1800s! 

    If it’s been your perception that we have seen an excessive number of days with rain or snow – you’re right! The frequency of days with measurable precipitation this year thus far is nearly unprecedented. You have to go back to the late 1800s  – 122 years ago – to find a year with as many or more days with precipitation during the January 1 through June 25 period.

  • Weekend heat index could hit 100, thanks to temps. in the 90s and high humidity

    It took a while, but the Chicago area is headed for its hottest spell of weather here in nearly 10 months! The combination of high humidity and  temperatures in the low 90s could produce the first triple-digit heat index of 2019 by this weekend. While wide coverage rains are not expected, an isolated thunderstorm cannot be ruled out almost every day but  the coverage will be low and any showers will not last long. For the latest forecast visit wgntv.com/weather.

  • Lack of warmth so far in 2019, a Chicago first since the 1800s

    CHICAGO — On the eve of astronomical summer, it’s noteworthy that real summer-level warmth has eluded the Chicago area so far this year. To date through June 20, the warmest official temperature has been 83 degrees. The last time Chicago has gone this deep into the calendar year without seeing a warmer temperature, was 135 years ago, in 1884. Since weather records began in 1871, only three other years have not been warmer than 83 degrees by now. But beginning this […]

  • May ties Chicago’s record for number of rainy days in a month

    CHICAGO — If it’s your impression that this has been an exceptionally wet month, you’re right! Thursday, May 30, was the 21st day this month with measurable precipitation. This eclipses the old May record (20 days set in 1947) for number of rainy days. And since weather records began in 1871, only one other month has logged as many as 21 days of measurable precipitation, and that was November 1985. It’s not surprising, then, that Chicago also set a new record […]

Notice: you are using an outdated browser. Microsoft does not recommend using IE as your default browser. Some features on this website, like video and images, might not work properly. For the best experience, please upgrade your browser.