Chicago Breaks Temperature Record As Mercury Soars Past 60
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago broke a 137-year-old record for warmth today, and we could see a couple more temperature records go by the wayside over the next few days.
The temperature hit 61 at O'Hare International Airport shortly after noon, on Friday, breaking the old Feb 17 record of 60 degrees set in 1880, according to the National Weather Service. By 2 p.m., the temperature had hit 65 at O'Hare.
Temperatures should be close to records every day at least through Monday, according to the latest forecasts.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Megan Glaros reports Saturday's high is expected to be about 60, compared to the Feb. 18 record of 62 set in 1981, and Monday's high is expected to be around 61, compared to the Feb. 20 record of 64 set in 1930, so a couple more records aren't out of the question while this warm spell lasts.
Sunday also will be unusually warm for mid-February, with a high of about 58, though that's a bit further off the Feb. 19 record of 65.
Meantime, Chicago has gone more than two months without a one-inch snowfall. The last time the city saw an inch of snow in one day was Dec. 17, 2016. In fact, Chicago has had only six-tenths of an inch of snow for all of astronomical winter.
The current 62-day snow drought is sure to last at least through the next week, with temperatures not expected to dip below freezing again until Feb. 25. The longest Chicago has gone without a one-inch snowfall is 66 days, in winter of 1921-22, so that record is almost certain to go down unless there's a dramatic shift in the forecast soon.
