Warmer in Chicago Than July 4th with a String of Record Highs

By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

Mar 21, 2012; 6:07 PM ET

Other Record Highs Set in Chicago

Date	New Record High
3/19	78
3/18	81
3/17	82
3/16	82
3/15	81
3/14	81

Chicago has set eighth record highs in a row with temperatures climbing above-normal for July 4th on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The high soared to 85 degrees on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, and 87 degrees on Wednesday, March 21, 2012, shattering previous records for the date. The normal high for this time of year in Chicago is 48 degrees, while the normal high on July 4th is 84 degrees.
High temperatures have been more than 15 degrees above normal in Chicago for 11 straight days, since March 10, 2012. The average temperature so far this month is 16.6 degrees above normal.

What is Causing the Unusual Summerlike Warmth?The jet stream has been located far to the north across central and eastern Canada, allowing mild air to surge into the eastern two thirds of the nation. A large dome of high pressure dominating over the western Atlantic off the East Coast has been acting as a pump of warm air.

 

"It's now official," journalist @DavidShuster tweeted. "At 81 degrees, and as folks swim in Lake Michigan, this is the warmest March 20 in Chicago history."
"At least two-thirds of the nation could wind up with above-normal temperatures [this spring]," Paul Pastelok, expert long-range meteorologist and leader of the AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team, said late in February. He forecast that there could be the most widespread warmth this spring since 2004.

Warmer in Chicago Than July 4th with a String of Record Highs