Chicago Storm

First 90°+ day of the year on Wednesday at ORD and MDW, with a high of 91° at both locations.

...2026 90°+ Day Tally...
3 - ARR
1 - ORD
1 - MDW
1 - RFD
1 - PWK
1 - LOT
1 - UGN
0 - DPA

Ended up having a supercell quickly develop over DuPage County last evening, which then moved through ORD. There was a transient wall cloud at times with it as it approached from the southwest, as the storm interacted with an OFB and briefly tried to be interesting.

Janky LL lapse rates and a warm nose aloft will be the bullet in today in the favorable corridor.

13 minutes ago, Tim from Springfield, IL said:

Good call on including Springfield in the watch even though none of Sangamon County falls within the watch box.  (Same with Morgan and Scott counties as well). 

sangamon county is in the watch. springfield can't be in the watch if sangamon county isn't.

Rapid recovery occurring across the southern half of the DVN CWA.

There's not a single 12z CAM that has a handle on evolution of the initial MCS.

If this initial MCS stays further south, you think the warm front may be closer to I-80 corridor or even further south for the next round? LOT AFD sort of alludes to this.

I believe we will see some changes regarding expectations for today.

Let the HRRR catch up to reality over the next few runs, and we’ll likely see a clearer and different picture painted.

17 minutes ago, cyclone77 said:

Reverse jinx worked here too. Thanks @Chicago Storm!

it's a magical thing.

The forum will compress this picture to hell, but here was the view out of ORD as the line approached…

Peak wind gust of 73MPH at MDW.

Peak wind gust of 61MPH here at ORD.

2 hours ago, Chicago Storm said:

we'll try again tomorrow...

the reverse jinx worked.

Numerous 70-90MPH wind reports in NE Iowa, NW Illinois and SW Wisconsin.

we'll try again tomorrow...

The HRRR is top tier for tomorrow around here, projecting 3 rounds of back-back-back severe clusters locally.

On the visible satellite loop it looks like the remnant low of a tropical depression is lifting northward through eastern Iowa.  The rain bands are very efficient.  I got another 1.79" of rain overnight through this morning.  The defo zone/pivot point of the meso low passed just west of me and produced a band of 3-4" of rain across that area.  There was no thunder this morning, just tropical-style heavy rain.
After getting only 1.90" of rain in May, I have already received 3.23" in the first week of June.  The soil has been thoroughly replenished and the garden is thriving.

3 minutes ago, A-L-E-K said:

Torch incoming?

 

 

there's been a signal for about a week now, favoring next week for a ridge to poke up into the region.

i wouldn't say it'll be a heat-wave, but it looks to be deep summer-like.

Spring 2026 finished as the 8th warmest spring on record in Chicago.

Warmest Spring Temperature Rankings
1. 56.6° - 2012
2. 56.2° - 1977
3. 53.9° - 1921
4. 53.8° - 2024
5. 52.7° - 2010
5. 52.7° - 1991
5. 52.7° - 1955
8. 52.6° - 2026
9. 52.1° - 2021
10. 51.7° - 1946

Spring 2026 finished as the 8th warmest spring on record in Chicago.

Warmest Spring Temperature Rankings
1. 56.6° - 2012
2. 56.2° - 1977
3. 53.9° - 1921
4. 53.8° - 2024
5. 52.7° - 2010
5. 52.7° - 1991
5. 52.7° - 1955
8. 52.6° - 2026
9. 52.1° - 2021
10. 51.7° - 1946

May 2026 finished as the 10th driest May on record in Chicago.

Driest May Rankings
1. 0.30" - 1992
2. 0.58" - 1994
3. 0.67" - 1934
4. 0.71" - 2023
5. 0.78" - 1950
6. 0.80" - 1921
7. 0.84" - 1897
8. 0.93" - 1903
9. 1.00" - 1886
10. 1.17" - 2026

May 2026 finished as the 10th driest May on record in Chicago.

Driest May Rankings
1. 0.30" - 1992
2. 0.58" - 1994
3. 0.67" - 1934
4. 0.71" - 2023
5. 0.78" - 1950
6. 0.80" - 1921
7. 0.84" - 1897
8. 0.93" - 1903
9. 1.00" - 1886
10. 1.17" - 2026

51 minutes ago, TheClimateChanger said:

There is a method to my madness here. Since the ASOS sensor/shield changes, minimum temperatures appear to be running unusually cool relative to the old observing regime, especially under radiational cooling setups. That means larger diurnal ranges can show up in the data in a way that is not necessarily apples-to-apples with the older record. That is why I have been emphasizing maximum temperatures more recently when it comes to ASOS readings. Highs are more likely to be consistent across the long-term record than minima that are especially sensitive to calm, clear-night radiational cooling and sensor/shield behavior.

lol

June 1922 is the driest June in the books for Chicago with .12 “
 
I hope we don’t break that record. 

montrose clears