Wednesday and Thursday to yield high temperatures to near record territory

Weather highlights today through the middle of next week includes the possibility of a rare late season 80 degree high temp today, near record warmth Thursday followed bythunderstorms Thursday night into Friday, and a major league cool down which promises to bring the coolest air mass of the season Friday through the middle of next week.

It's a rare occurrence for an 80 degree day to be recorded this late in the year. In 142 years of record keeping, Chicago has only amassed a total of eight 80 degree days beyond October 23. Strong thermal ridging coupled with abundant sunlight, a southerly wind flow, and strong heating efficiency this afternoon could very well result in the possibility of such an event to occur. If we hit the 80 degree mark this afternoon, it would be the area's first 80 in over 5 weeks, since September 12 and would bring Chicago one day shy of the all-time record of the most 80 degree days in a season which is 103 set back in 1988. Regardless of whether we peak in the upper 70s or lower 80s this afternoon, Chicago will come within striking distance of the record of 83 degrees set back in 1963.

http://www.examiner.com/article/wednesday-and-thursday-to-yield-high-temperatures-to-near-record-territory