Chicago Weather: Historic warm temps break record for 4th day in row
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago's historic record-breaking warm temperature continued for a fourth consecutive day on Monday.
Monday afternoon, temperatures hit 69 degrees, breaking a 1930 record high of 64 degrees, according to ABC7 meteorologist Phil Schwarz.
Sunday's high reached 69, Saturday reached 70 and Friday reach 67 -- each day breaking a record.
The Chicago will likely see two more days of above-60 degree temperatures, making it one of the warmest Februarys ever.
And Chicagoans continued to basked in the sun and warmth, shedding coats and venturing outdoors.
On Monday, people ate lunch outside, while others skipped work altogether.
And it's not just Chicagoans who are enjoying this lovely weather.
Katie Faunt, who was visiting from California, said the weather was not what she expected when she planned a mid-winter break with her boyfriend.
"It's actually worse weather back home that it is right now," Faunt said. "It's actually 50 and rainy which you never get, so I feel pretty lucky right now."
At the Downers Grove Park District golf course, they opened Sunday for the first time in February. Golfers who have President's Day off said they plan to come back on Monday. The warm weather was bad news for the skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park. The ribbon was closed Sunday until about 4:30 p.m.
NEXT FEW DAYS
Wednesday could see a 70-degree high, then Thursday will be much cooler, especially by the lake as temps drop to the 40s, Schwarz said.
Friday will be the most active day of the week. A strong system will pull a frontal boundary into our area creating a huge temperature difference across the area. It might only be in the 40s near the Wisconsin line and in the 70s far south. This could set the stage for some severe weather. Once the cold front moves through it's back to reality for the weekend with highs in the 30s.
Spring is officially less than a month away. Regardless, snow showers are expected in less than a week on Saturday.
EARLY ALLERGY SEASON
Few people complained about the unusual spring-like weather in the middle of February. However, some folks might be starting to feel the consequences as trees and plants start to bud earlier in the season.
"We usually don't even start to do the pollen counts until the beginning of April, so you can see things are starting to bud, so it could be you may want to start your medications," said Dr. Mary Tobin, an allergist at Rush University Medical Center.
Tobin warns those with both pollen and mold sensitivities to monitor their symptoms and not mistake them with those of the common cold.
"We're having a lot of viral illness from colds so to have the potential of having the pollen allergy on top of that is really going to make people miserable," Tobin said.
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