(Linus Schutz / Pixabay)
If the tree color wasn't telling us otherwise, we'd swear it was spring instead of fall.
On Wednesday, Chicago tied a record, set back in 1978, for high temperature when the mercury hit 74 degrees at O'Hare Airport.
With the National Weather Service forecasting "unseasonably warm weather" over the next five days, more records could be shattered. The best chance comes on Sunday, when temperatures could reach the upper 70s, potentially topping the current record of 73 degrees, which has stood since 1931.
The warm-up provides a tiny sliver of good news to Chicago's struggling bars and restaurants, which have been restricted to outdoor patio and sidewalk cafe service due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Undisclosed location. Socially distanced. Sticking to my routine In this beautiful weather... @chicagobars #EatLocal #DrinkLocal #SaveOurSpots pic.twitter.com/wkgPztEJy1
— Joshua Patterson (@IrishPride44) November 5, 2020
Alas, what goes up must come down. Temperatures will dip back to normal next week, according to the National Weather Service. The question is how fast and far the thermometer will drop.
November is certainly no stranger to wild fluctuations in temperatures. Indeed, historical data shows that the largest temperature change from one day to the next occurred between Nov. 11-12, 1911, when Chicagoans basked in 74-degree temperatures on the 11th only to be socked with a harsh dose of weather reality as temperatures crashed to 13 degrees on the 12th.
So enjoy the warmth while it lasts, but keep your parka handy.
The high temperature today at Chicago O'Hare was 74 degrees which ties the previous record of 74 set back in 1978! Rockford was 1 degree shy of its previous record of 74, also from 1978. #ILwx
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) November 4, 2020
Our stretch of unseasonably warm weather will continue over the next five days with high temperatures mainly in the low 70s. Dry weather is expected during this stretch until Monday evening when an approaching system brings our next chance for precipitation. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/0dAPR1fKnd
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) November 4, 2020
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
