After the frigid cold of winter was slow to loosen its grip on the Chicago area, spring came with a vengeance and set a slew of records in the month of May.
According to the National Weather Service, Chicago has never gotten more rain in the month of May than it did last month, recording 8.21 inches of rain. That total is over double what the area normally receives for the month.
The warm temperatures in Chicago were also historic, as the average temperature for the month was 66.1 degrees. That is the third-highest average temperature for the month ever, according to the National Weather Service, and exceeded the average temperature historically by seven degrees.
The average high temperature for the month was 76.4 degrees, which is 6.4 degrees above normal. Low temperatures were even warmer, averaging 55.9 degrees, a staggering 7.6 degrees above normal for the month.
A quartet of daily records were also set in Chicago last month, including records for most precipitation on May 2 (1.32 inches of rain) and May 21 (1.96 inches of rain).
A new record high temperature was recorded on May 27, when the thermometer hit 97 degrees at O’Hare International Airport. That mark tied the highest ever temperature recorded in the month of May in the city of Chicago.
Local
On May 28, Chicago tied its record high for the date, hitting 95 degrees.
