Sunday's Wild Temperature Swings Biggest Shift In Chicago In 8 Years
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago had quite a roller coaster ride of temperatures on Sunday, seeing the largest swing in temperatures in more than eight years.
The day started out frigid, with a low of 26 degrees early Sunday morning. The temperature was still near freezing when runners started the annual Shamrock Shuffle downtown at 8:30 a.m., but by the start of the afternoon, the mercury had shot up into the mid 50s, and by the early evening, Chicago saw a high of 71.
That 45 degree temperature swing was the 13th largest one-day change on record in Chicago, and the largest temperature range in a single day since Jan. 29, 2008, according to the National Weather Service. It was also the largest temperature range in a single day in April since April 20, 1936.
But even that 45 degree swing wasn't the most dramatic temperature change of the day. As a cold front moved in Sunday evening, the temperature at O'Hare International Airport dropped a stunning 17 degrees in only 10 minutes around 10 p.m., as the mercury plummeted from the mid 60s to the upper 40s.
While the temperature swings won't be anywhere near as drastic this week, the weather will be up and down over the next several days.
The Chicago area could get some passing flurries on Monday, as temperatures are expected to linger in the upper 30s most of the day.
While the mercury could briefly dip below freezing overnight, temperatures should improve significantly in the middle of the week, with a high around 50 on Tuesday, and a high of about 55 on Wednesday.
The middle of the week also will bring several chances for rain, starting Tuesday night. There should be a break from showers overnight, but then there should be an additional blast of rain Wednesday morning.
Temperatures will dip a bit ahead of the weekend, with highs in the mid 40s on Thursday and Friday, and chances for a mix of rain and snow, but then should warm up again, with a high around 53 on Saturday, and about 60 on Sunday.