After a long stretch of abnormally-chilly weather to start the month of May, summer is making a cameo appearance in the Chicago area this week, breaking records in the process.
According to the National Weather Service, the city of Chicago set a new record for warmest temperatures ever recorded on May 11 when O’Hare International Airport hit 90 degrees on Wednesday.
Officials say that Wednesday’s temperatures mark the earliest the city has observed its first 90-degree day in more than a decade.
The National Weather Service says that this marks just the 14th time that the first 90-degree day of the year has occurred on or before May 11 since recordkeeping began in Chicago in 1872.
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The record-high is about a month ahead of schedule, with officials saying that the first 90-degree day of the year typically doesn’t happen until around June 5.
The city of Chicago isn’t the only spot seeing record heat on Wednesday. Rockford has broken its record for a second consecutive day, with the city reporting a temperature of 93 degrees as of 2:30 p.m.
In Pontiac, the temperature hit 94 degrees on Wednesday, with a heat index of 102.
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Chicagoans looking for relief from the heat should head to the city’s lakefront. According to the National Weather Service, readings there are in the low-70s thanks to onshore flow, and that trend is likely to continue in coming days.
Another trend that will continue is Chicago’s heat wave, with temperatures once again approaching record-levels on Thursday and Friday before starting to cool off this weekend.
