Make That 3 Days In A Row Of Record-Breaking Heat In Chicago
By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 22, 2017 8:55PM
Getty Images / Photo: Tim Boyle
Sometimes when our fair city goes on some manner of historic, record-breaking tear, our hearts swell with civic pride and we're reminded anew of what a privilege it is to call Chicago home. But some history-making turns just make us throw up our arms and wave the white flag. Yes, we're talking about this bizarre, brutal heat. For the third day in a row, Chicago has reached record-breaking temperatures.
It didn't take long either, we were barely past lunch when the National Weather Service-Chicago let us know that temperatures had already climbed to 93 degrees. That was enough to break the previous record high for Sept. 22, which was set back in 1956. (The thermometer at O'Hare later hit 94 degrees on Friday afternoon, and the day ain't over yet.)
As of 12:40pm CDT, #Chicago-O'Hare reached 93°, breaking previous record high for 9/22 from 1956. 3rd straight record high for CHI. #ilwx
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) September 22, 2017
That follows yesterday, when 93 degrees was again good enough to take the high score (although it got even hotter), and Wednesday, when it took a mere 92 degrees to set a high mark for its date.
If there's an upside, its that the weekend should bring some relative relief, with no more 90-degree days in the forecast, though we can still expect highs in the high 80s—not to mention continued allergy assaults.
The last time Chicago saw similar stretches of consecutive 90-degree days this late in the season was Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 1971 and all the way back in Sept. 19 to 22, 1895(!).