It's the latest in a series of record-breaking warmth for the Chicago, with even more high temps forecast.
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The most recent record broken in Chicago was Sunday. At 1:02 p.m., the temperature at O’Hare International Airport hit 66 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. That balmy number just beat the record of 65 degrees set in 1930 – though temperatures on Sunday continued to climb, meaning the final record could be even higher.
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About an hour before that, Rockford saw a temperature of 64 degrees, eclipsing the previous record that was also set in 1930.
Noel Amadeus Montenegro
On Saturday, Rockford reached 59 degrees at 11:12 a.m., while O’Hare saw 63 degrees just 13 minutes later – breaking the record set in 1981.
Noel Amadeus Montenegro
Saturday’s temperatures continued to climb, and the city saw 70 degree warmth in February for just the fourth time since 1871, according to the National Weather Service.
Noel Amadeus Montenegro
The other times temperatures at O’Hare reached 70 degrees this month were 75 degrees on Feb. 27, 1976, 72 degrees on Feb. 25, 2000 and 70 degrees on Feb. 11, 1999 – meaning that in addition to being tied for the third highest temperature ever recorded in February, Saturday’s warmth was also the second earliest 70 degree reading in Chicago.
Noel Amadeus Montenegro
The weekend’s record-breaking streak began at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, when 62 degrees at O’Hare shattered the high set all the way back in 1880.
Noel Amadeus Montenegro
Monday could reach 60 degrees yet again, even as the chance for rain increases through the evening. The records for both Feb. 20 and 21 were set in 1930, at 64 and 67 degrees, respectively.
Noel Amadeus Montenegro
The record for longest stretch of consecutive days in which Chicago saw temperatures above 60 degrees in February sits at four, set from Feb. 24 through 27 in 1976.
At 1:02 p.m. Sunday, the temperature at O’Hare International Airport hit 66 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. That balmy number just beat the record of 65 degrees set in 1930.
About an hour before that, Rockford saw a temperature of 64 degrees, eclipsing the previous record that was also set in 1930.
On Saturday, Rockford reached 59 degrees at 11:12 a.m., while O’Hare saw 63 degrees just 13 minutes later – breaking the record set in 1981.
Saturday’s temperatures continued to climb, and the city saw 70 degree warmth in February for just the fourth time since 1871, according to the National Weather Service.
The other times temperatures at O’Hare reached 70 degrees this month were 75 degrees on Feb. 27, 1976, 72 degrees on Feb. 25, 2000 and 70 degrees on Feb. 11, 1999 – meaning that in addition to being tied for the third highest temperature ever recorded in February, Saturday’s warmth was also the second earliest 70 degree reading in Chicago. [[407832135, R]]
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, the National Weather Service noted that O’Hare’s 68 degrees meant Chicago was warmer than Los Angeles (54 degrees), Phoenix, Arizona (60 degrees) and Tallahassee, Florida (63 degrees).
These temperatures continue the Chicago area's unseasonably snow-less, warm winter, and it looks as though they’ll stick around through the rest of the week. [[414159193, C]]
Showers are possible heading into Monday evening, but once they move out of the area by Tuesday afternoon, the warmth will likely return for what could be a fifth straight day of temperatures in the 60s. The record Feb. 21 was set in 1930, at 67 degrees.
The record for longest stretch of consecutive days in which Chicago saw temperatures above 60 degrees in February sits at four, set from Feb. 24 through 27 in 1976.
The city’s unusual warmth comes during a winter that has seen remarkably little snow. This January saw just 0.6 inches of snow well below, the month’s average snowfall of 5.2 inches.
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February 1-2, 2015: The fifth-largest blizzard in Chicago's history was also the most recent to hit the top of the charts, when 19.3 inches of snowfall were recorded between late Saturday night and 6 a.m. Monday morning. Many Chicagoans may remember it as the "Super Bowl" blizzard, when 16.2 inches of snow alone fell on the Sunday of Super Bowl XLIX, causing a myriad of problems and forcing Chicago Public Schools to close on Monday.
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Jan. 13-14, 1979: The fourth-biggest snowstorm in Chicago's history occurred in January 1979, when 20.3 inches of snow fell at O'Hare International Airport, where the city's weather is officially recorded. The storm was followed by a brutal arctic blast and took the longest time to melt, according to the National Weather Service, and snow already on the ground from previous storms resulted in the deepest snow pack in city history.
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Feb. 1-2, 2011: The third-largest blizzard in the city was known as the "Groundhog Day Blizzard" and even "Snowpocalypse" which brought 21.2 inches of snow along with fierce winds gusting up to 60 mph throughout Chicago and northwest Indiana. The blizzard crippled the city for days, as more than a thousand flights were canceled and drivers left stranded vehicles along Lake Shore Drive.
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Jan 1-3, 1999: 21.6 inches of snow blanketed Chicago during the second-largest snowstorm in city history in 1999. The storm was well forecast and spread out over a long holiday weekend, according to the National Weather Service, which helped mitigate the impact on transportation. However, the storm still had a major impact as Lake Shore Drive was shut down for the first time ever.
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Jan. 26-27, 1967: Chicago's worst blizzard of all-time has held the record for nearly 50 years, when 23 inches of snow fell over the course of two days. The storm paralyzed the city, shutting down airports and schools for days. Estimates of as many as 50,000 cars and up to 1000 buses were stuck or abandoned, according to the National Weather Service, and about 60 people died as a result of the storm, 26 from heart attacks while shoveling.
Through mid-December, the Chicago area saw 17.7 inches of snow, making the winter snow total 18.3 inches – 7.3 inches below average.
We could see the first flakes of the month by next weekend, as forecast models show an area of low pressure moving in amid rainstorms Saturday, bringing in colder air and possibly snow.
High temperatures on Saturday, the coldest day of the week, could hover around 36 degrees.
