This morning, the official temperature at O'Hare briefly alighted on 0°C around 7am, for the first time since April 22nd. Also around the same time, I turned my heat on for the first time since May 13th (according to my Google Home app).
As it happens, October ranks as one of the warmest and wettest in Chicago and Illinois history:
The preliminary statewide average October temperature was 15.4°C, 2.8°C above the 1991–2020 average and eighth warmest on record going back to 1895. The preliminary statewide average total October precipitation was 162 mm, 87.4 mm above the 1991–2020 average and the fourth wettest on record going back to 1895.
Chicago's October was the 9th warmest and 12th wettest, continuing a 3-month streak ranking in the top-10 warmest—second warmest for the three months ending October 31st.