Weather? (pool, schedule, summer)

[SJaye]

Sometime in March, I would usually expect the weather to get generally warmer. This year, it will likely be slightly later than average due to the extensive snow pack across the eastern half of the US. However, from Mid February until Mid May, the weather here is not really consistently anything- it is quite variable. On the last day of March, daytime temperature could easily be anywhere from the lower 20s to the mid 80s.

In fact, what amazes me right now about Chicago's weather is how non-variable it has been recently. We've been around 28-35 degrees every day, and some 10 cooler at night for some time- no big warm-ups, no temps near 0, very little change. This is quite unusual!

[knitgirl]

Tom Skilling is the go to guy for all Chicago weather related statistics. He has a full page in the Tribune every day. He happened to address that question today. The question was posed "When do a majority (50%+) of days see temperatures as warm as these readings?"

50 degrees: March 28
60 degrees: April 16
70 degrees: May 18 (though I can remember an awful lot of cold rainy Memorial Days)
80+ degrees: June 11.

of course that's based on long-ranged trends. Who knows what it'll do this year.

[04JETTA]

to be honest, it depends on the year

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by efb

I was mostly wondering when I wouldn't need the full kit to go outside! Boots/hat/gloves/coat/etc....LOL

See, Im already at that point. Then again, Ive lived here almost my whole life, so Im used to it. By late February I get out the lighter coat, only really wear gloves if Im outside for extended amounts of time, and hats are a thing of the past.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Steve, please remember that those of us farther east are subject to the drastic cooling of Lake Michigan. I'm always envious of those in the Fox Valley because, typically, the lake cooling does not effect the Fox as often as it effects AH and points east.The lake does not warm up to the 60's until late May/early June.

I agree. But to that all I can say is get away from the lake and out here into the sun and warmer weather (cooler in winter though).

We'll see 60s within a few short weeks out here in the western burbs... should be around late March or so.

[prinsessa]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

See, Im already at that point. Then again, Ive lived here almost my whole life, so Im used to it. By late February I get out the lighter coat, only really wear gloves if Im outside for extended amounts of time, and hats are a thing of the past.

Also lived here my whole life and I'm still not used to it! But I'm cold-blooded so I'm always cold. Today is really nice so gloves and hats aren't really needed unless you will be out for a while. I think Feb has been pretty mild this year.

[SJaye]

Originally Posted by prinsessa

Also lived here my whole life and I'm still not used to it! But I'm cold-blooded so I'm always cold. Today is really nice so gloves and hats aren't really needed unless you will be out for a while. I think Feb has been pretty mild this year.

Actually, that is a common miss-perception. The more cold-blooded someone is, the less likely they are to feel cold because the colder the blood, the less warm it needs to be for someone to fee comfortable. People get the chills when they have a fever because they are trying to sustain a warmer body temperature to fight off the disease.

Thus far, February has been 0.6 degrees cooler than average according to the National Weather Service.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by prinsessa

Also lived here my whole life and I'm still not used to it! But I'm cold-blooded so I'm always cold. Today is really nice so gloves and hats aren't really needed unless you will be out for a while. I think Feb has been pretty mild this year.

Youre used to it. Wanna know why? You said you didnt need gloves and hats today because it was "really nice". It was in the 30s today. You know youre used to cold weather in winter when temps in the upper 30s feel really nice.

[ImaloneJill]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Youre used to it. Wanna know why? You said you didnt need gloves and hats today because it was "really nice". It was in the 30s today. You know youre used to cold weather in winter when temps in the upper 30s feel really nice.

Yeah baby! I was walking on sunshine today!

[chirack]

Originally Posted by efb

Steve-o: those temps sound fine. I was mostly wondering when I wouldn't need the full kit to go outside! Boots/hat/gloves/coat/etc....LOL

The other thing no one mention is the day/night temps. March is still heavy jacket to coat weather. April is heavy jacket to maybe light jacket in the day weather. April is the most unpredictable month of them all. You can have shorts and you can have snow in April.

May is the first month you can go outside without a jacket on in the day but you will need something at night and this assumes it isn't a rainy may. June is really the first safe month. The only thing you need a jacket for in June is rain(usually).


If I were planning something outdoors I wouldn't do it before June. You may get nice weather long before June, but it can be rather a potshot.