Chicago's 9-day run of temperatures well above normal came to a blustery and unceremonious halt Thursday. That warm spell had generated seven of 2013's nine days with 80s, including the year's only official 90-degree reading.
In sharp contrast, Thursday managed a high temp of only 54-degrees, 20-degrees below the peak reading which had occurred only the day before---a temperature which was 18-degrees below normal. The reading equaled April 2's normal high---a temperature most likely to occur 7 weeks earlier!
And, as if the chill wasn’t enough, the unseasonably cool readings rode wind gusts which topped 50 mph into the city. The powerful flow, which ran the length of Lake Michigan into Chicago, piled up 13 ft. waves which pounded the Lake Michigan shoreline here.
Friday’s unlimited sun and lighter winds welcome---but the temp rebound they generate is to be modest and well off historic norms
Temperatures surge back into the 60s Friday afternoon thanks to nearly unlimited sunshine. That's a 10-degree improvement over Thursday’s chilly maximum---but still well below the normal high which is 73-degrees on May 24.
Powerful t-storms rake the southern Plains, some with 110 mph straight-line gusts; others spin-up tornadoes
Downpours swept tornado- ravaged Moore, Oklahoma early Thursday while powerful new thunderstorms later in the day sent high winds, hail the size of tennis balls and a new flock of tornadoes into the southern Plains. The twisters' target this time was west Texas. Winds there gusted to 110 mph at Rotan; 105 mph 9 miles west of Albany, 92 mph a mile southeast of Jayton, and 80 mph at Cone---all in Texas. The storms blew roofs off houses in Abilene.
