The Chicago area logs its fifth 80° high of 2005 Tuesday amid gusty WSW winds. Only three years since 1990 have hosted more by May 10. The tally puts the area ahead of its 135 year average of three 80s by this date.
Monday’s 77° official high followed the mildest morning minimum (62°) here since the Sept. 15 low of 68°.
Fast-moving, northbound t-storms swept parts of the Chicago area Monday, prompting a severe t-storm watch and producing some 40+ m.p.h. gusts. The storms doused some areas with welcome rainfall—including 0.62” at Aurora and 0.59” to the north in Waukegan. Only 0.15” fell at O’Hare while Midway Airport’s 0.21” total marked the South Side’s first measurable rain of the month.
Warm weather dominated more of the U.S. than in recent days. Laredo, Texas broiled at 101°—the hottest U.S. temperature this year to-date.

After May’s extraordinarily chilly start—replete with cold and even some snow flurries—warm weather returned to Chicago with a flourish on Mother’s Day. The 85º high was the city’s warmest reading since Sept. 23, and was Chicago’s fourth 80º day this year. After more than two weeks of chilly weather, the rest of this week is expected to be on the warm side with highs on most days in the 70s or lower 80s. The upcoming week also promises to bring several chances for precipitation, a commodity that has been seriously lacking in the Midwest this spring. With moisture deficits growing daily and temperatures on the rise, vegetation will become stressed without some substantial rainfall in the next few weeks.
Rain was anything but scarce in Texas Sunday as severe t-storms bombarded portions of the state. Nearly 2.25” of rain fell in Houston and 1.40” doused Victoria in southeast Texas, while grapefruit-size hail pounded Mason, located northwest of Austin.