Dear

Has there ever been a day in Chicago when the high and low temperatures were the same?

Dave Missele

Dear Dave,

 The answer is yes. Chicago weather records date back to 1871, and in the 152 years of climate records, only one only day out of more than 55,000 has logged a steady temperature. Chicago weather historian Frank Wachowski tells us that on Feb. 6, 1942, the high and low temperatures were both 35 degrees. In fact, the mercury remained at 35 degrees for a span of 30 hours, from 9 p.m. Feb. 5 through 3 a.m. Feb. 7, 1942.
   It was a cloudy and rainy period with strong northeast winds. Rainfall totaled 1.98 inches, and there was also a trace of snow. Because Chicago’s weather is almost always in flux and temperatures seldom remain steady for more than a few hours, this was an incredibly rare event.