Hot Start To September Coming To An End As Storms Move Through Chicago Area
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The tropical start to September is coming to an end, as temperatures will be significantly cooler this week, especially after a couple rounds of showers and thunderstorms move through the area on Tuesday.
According to the National Weather Service, the first seven days of September were the fourth warmest on record for Chicago, and it was the warmest first week of September in 55 years.
It was also the warmest week of the year for the Chicago area, with an average temperature of 79.6 degrees from Sept. 1 to Sept 7. It was the first time the warmest week of the year happened in September since 1990.
That trend is coming to an end, however, as a cold front moves in, bringing rain that could be heavy at times on Tuesday.
While Tuesday certainly won't be a washout, there will be chances for scattered showers and storms throughout the day. There already had been some rain overnight, and the northern and northwestern suburbs were getting their share of spotty showers early Tuesday morning.
More storms were moving through the western suburbs, heading northeast, around dawn. A couple more showers were likely north of the city late Tuesday morning, with a larger storm cell possible in the southern Chicago area and northwest Indiana during the afternoon and early evening.
The rain should clear out by Wednesday morning, giving way to sunshine and breezy conditions.
Tuesday started out quite warm, with temperatures in the mid to upper 70s by 6 a.m., moving toward a high in the low 80s by the afternoon.
Wednesday's temperatures will top out around 75, and conditions will be mostly dry. Thursday will be a little warmer, with a high near 78.
The weekend will start out mild, with a high of only about 72 on Friday, and 69 on Saturday, before temperatures return to the high 70s on Sunday, and possibly 80 to start next week.