Back-To-Back Highs In The 80s Finally Bury Old Man Winter
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After a Chicago winter that just didn't seem to want to end, Chicago has now seen two days in a row with temperatures in the 80s, the first time it's been that warm in nearly seven months.
The official temperature reached 80 degrees at O'Hare International Airport shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, but the temperature soon dropped back into the 70s. It was the first time since Oct. 9, 2017, that Chicago reached 80 degrees.
The mercury hit 80 again at noon Tuesday, and was expected to reach as high as 85 degrees later Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
While still well shy of the record high for April 30 or May 1, that warmth has been a welcome relief for Chicago, which had seen a high in the 70s only one other time in April.
The average temperature in Chicago in April was only 41.2 degrees, the fourth coldest April on record, according to the National Weather Service. The coldest April ever was in 1874, when the average temperature was 38.7.
April also saw a record number of days with temperatures at or below freezing, with a total of 16 in Chicago. There were also a total of 10 days with temperatures below 40, the second most ever recorded in April in Chicago.
The National Weather Service said April also nearly set a record for snow, with six days of snow measuring at least a tenth of an inch, the second most on record behind 1910, when there were seven days of that much snow.
