Skies have cleared amid gusty, full fetch NNE winds which have raced with cool temps (for this time of year) the length of Lake Michigan. As is typical with “full fetch” winds—i.e. winds which race southward the entire length of Lake Michigan—-high waves and rip currents have resulted.
The rain tallies are in from Monday’s storm system from across the Chicago metro area. The spread in totals with Monday storms was even evident between the big airports here in the city. MIDWAY recorded 2.81″ reports Frank Wachowski, veteran National Weather Service observer responsible for the measurements there. On the city’s Northwest Side at O’Hare, the city’s official weather observation site, the Monday tally was 0.80″. Oak Park reported nearly 4″ of rain while DeMotte, Lowell and Wheatfield, Indiana had rains measured in hundredths of an inch—-typical of the wide spread in warm season rains which are so common.
Gusts over the open lake have approached 40 mph Tuesday.
The high temp today is likely to end up 77 at O’Hare
Winds will die down quickly tonight and shift light southwesterly by morning with a comfortable night ahead. The current BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT comes down after this even and the rough seas on the lake will calm slowly.
Temps warm nicely Wednesday with the generous sunshine predicted returning to the 80s after morning lows Wed in the mid 50s inland and 60 here in the city.
A period of showers and possible t-storms next reaches the area Thursday morning—but should sweep across the area expeditiously.
Drier air and a beautiful Thursday afternoon and Friday follow.
Models continue to build an impressive warm air dome which threatens a round of late season heat. Several model runs suggested a Canadian high pressure could come on the scene and delay if not derail the warm-up later Sunday and early next week. But the preponderance of model solutions still build a FORMIDABLE HOT DOME—so those solutions are being set aside at the moment. We’ll keep an eye on future forecast trends—but IT’S MAJORITY RULE that dominates forecast reasoning at this point and this suggest an extended spell of hot and, from all indications—humid air which appears to be taking shape Sunday into Wednesday next week.
The hottest official summer temps here in Chicago have only reached 93 thus far. If the warmest of the model scenarios prove accurate, the late summer hot spell which appears to be taking has the potential of producing higher readings. Stay tuned!
HERE’S MY LATEST TUESDAY CHICAGO METRO FORECAST (8/15/2023):
BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT EXPIRES AFTER THIS EVENING WITH WAVES AND THE RIP CURRENT THREAT EASING
TONIGHT: Mainly clear and cooler with rapidly diminishing winds. Low 60 in the city—but mid 50s inland.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny and warmer. High 85.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Increasing cloudiness and warmer. Several showers or t-storms possible toward morning in a portion of the area. Low 67.
THURSDAY: Morning showers and possible t-storms—then clearing and cooler with a return to mostly sunny skies before the day is out. Gusty northwest winds as high as 30 mph. High 78.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny and warm. Comfortably low humidities. High 84—but mid 70s to near 80 lakeshore.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny, breezy and turning quite warm by afternoon. Only moderate humidities. The beginning of a multi-day warm-up. High 91.
SUNDAY and MONDAY: Mostly sunny, hot afternoons with noticeably higher and increasingly uncomfortable humidities. High Sunday and Monday 94. Afternoon lake breezes may temper the heat on area beaches where highs are likely to be in the mid 80s. Peak inland heat indices may reach the low 100s away from Lake Michigan.
TUESDAY: A good deal of sunshine, becoming breezy, hot and humid. High 96.
