WGN Weather Team
Recent Articles
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Lake winds typically increase as springtime advances
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March sunlight 3 times stronger than December which helps push Saturday temps to 50; sporadically showery Sunday to be followed by strong “NE” winds and an unseasonably chilly Monday; jet stream shift later next week to bring warming
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Pleasant on Saturday, then clouds, wind return
Friday produced mostly sunny skies, but daytime temperatures remained below normal, in keeping with a month that has favored chilly weather. Brisk north to northeast winds negated much of the effect sunshine would normally have had on area temperatures. At Waukegan, where Friday’s high was a chilly 43 degrees, winds off lake Michigan gusted to 32 mph. Farther inland, at West Chicago, winds had a westerly component, and afternoon readings peaked at a seasonable 51 degrees. High pressure will pass […]
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Pattern shift nixes Lower 48 storm threat—“atmospheric river’s” heavy precip & storms take aim at Alaska instead; temps warm 18 of past 23 days post “below-normal” readings; weekend 60-degrees not out of the question
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Milder air expected as the weekend approaches
March, 2019 has been marked by generally cold conditions. Of the first 18 days of the month, only 3 days produced above normal readings. The month is currently averaging more than 5 degrees below normal. The cold weather regime is forecast to abate in coming days as northwesterly upper level winds weaken, and become westerly. This pattern change will cause cold air over the Great Lakes region to retreat to New England and eastern Canada by the weekend, while being […]
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Chicago area just a microcosm of the macro flood event
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St. Patrick’s Day Climatology 1871-2018
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Persistent chill showing signs of tiring; milder-than-normal pattern is likely to dominate the final 10 days of March
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Sun shines on St. Patrick’s Day parades
There may be scattered clouds, but for the most part the sun should be out during St. Patrick’s Day parades this weekend. With near-perfect timing, a band of light snow should move through the area from the northwest Saturday night. With a persistent northwest flow aloft, seasonably cool air will continue to flow into the Midwest and Great Lakes the next few days – daily highs averaging about 5-degrees below normal. By the middle of next week a subtle pattern […]
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Chicago area pelted with heavy rain, high winds and large hail Thursday; blustery chill includes chilly rain showers and mixed wet snowflakes Friday
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