High To Climb To 84 On Another Subtropical Day
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Another day, another record shattered in subtropical Chicago.
As of 11 a.m., the temperature was already 80 degrees at O'Hare International Airport and 79 at Midway. Temperatures will keep rising as the sun shines, with a forecast high of a nearly sweltering 84 degrees.
The record for the day is 77 degrees, set in 1938.
But while a string of several days with highs in the 80s in March is unprecedented – and unlikely to happen again anytime soon – believe it or not, the hottest day in March ever in Chicago has not been this year.
The highest temperature so far this month was recorded on Tuesday, at 85 degrees. Exceeding that high is March 31, 1981, when the mercury reached 87 degrees, and March 29, 1986, when the temperature topped out at 88 degrees.
But the temperature on Wednesday could, at minimum, knock Tuesday out of the top three hottest March days.
On Thursday, after six straight days with temperatures over 80, things will cool off – but hardly to normal levels for this time of year.
The high for Thursday is 74, as clouds roll in and bring a 40 percent chance of rain. Once the rain comes through, the temperatures drop considerably, with the high on Friday at only 64 degrees.
The current forecast shows the high on Saturday reaches only 60, Sunday 59, Monday 64, and Tuesday 63. But some models suggest that Monday and Tuesday of next week could actually be back in the 70s.
