The month of April was a remarkable month weather-wise for the city of Chicago, as the National Weather Service revealed Saturday that the previous month was one of the driest Aprils on record in the city.
According to data released by NWS, the city of Chicago saw just 0.71 inches of precipitation in the month of April. That mark is less than a quarter of what the city normally sees in April, with 3.38 inches of precipitation considered to be a “normal” amount for the month.
That little amount of precipitation led to what NWS says is the sixth-driest April on record for the city. NWS data goes back to 1871, according to the service.
According to the latest data available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), portions of northeastern Illinois, including Lake, Cook, Will and Kankakee counties, are currently in what is considered to be a “moderate” drought. Most of eastern Illinois is considered to be going through a “abnormally dry” period of weather, according to the administration.
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During periods of “moderate drought,” trees and row crops tend to show more stress, and fireworks are typically banned because of dry conditions. The Chicago area has frequently seen fire advisories in recent weeks due to low humidity and dry grass conditions, including this weekend as wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour are expected.
The next chance of rain in the city could come on Sunday evening, according to current forecast models.
Among other statistics, just a trace of snowfall was recorded in the city during the month of April, which is 1.2 inches below normal for the month.
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In terms of temperatures, the city saw an average high temperature of 61.3 degrees in the month of April, which is 2.3 degrees above normal. The city tied its record high temperature for the date of April 27, when a high of 87 degrees was recorded at O’Hare International Airport.
The average low temperature in April was 42.5 degrees, which is 3.7 degrees above normal.
