Despite frigid close; January 2007 the 9th warmest since 1928
You wouldn’t know it from Wednesday’s bitter chill. But, January, 2007 finished 9th warmest of all the Januarys on record at Midway Airport since 1928. The month’s temperature averaged 7° above normal. That still wasn’t mild enough to challenge January one year ago which ended up 6° milder.
Wednesday’s official 3° morning low at O’Hare (4° at Midway) is the winter’s coldest to date but likely to be eclipsed by the chill expected to take hold this weekend and last well into next week. For 18 consecutive hours which finally ended at midday Wednesday, sub-zero wind chills gripped the Chicago area. Northwest suburban morning lows registered -2° at McHenry, -1° at Mundelein and Barrington and 0° at DeKalb.
The snow flurries here Thursday are falling on the northern flank of a snow system which prompted winter weather advisories across 14 southern states late Wednesday.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
