Chicago had its coolest July 8th in more than a century yesterday, capping the coolest summer (to date) in decades:
For the 12th time this meteorological summer (since June 1), daytime highs failed to reach 70°F Wednesday. Only one other year in the past half century has hosted so many sub-70-degree days up to this point in a summer season -- 1969, when 14 such days occurred.
Wednesday's paltry 65°F high at O'Hare International Airport (an early-May-level temperature and a reading 18°F degrees below normal) was also the city's coolest July 8 high in 118 years -- since a 61°F-degree high on the date in 1891.
The flipside, of course, is that the weather is delightful. Unfortunately the forecast for this week calls for much warmer (i.e., seasonal) temperatures. Pity.