Wednesday: 22nd straight day with above normal temperatures

NOTE: This article is now an almanac of Wedneday’s weather. We have published a new forecast story for Thursday.

Highs took a bit of dip Wednesday afternoon thanks to an increase in high clouds and easterly winds off the lake, but temperatures still were significantly above normal for October 1st.

It marked the 22^nd straight day in which the daily average temperature posted a surplus. Highs across the area ranged from the lower 70s along the lake to the middle 80s far south.  

Unusually warm stretch  

The average temperature over the past two weeks when factoring the daytime high and nighttime low has been 73.9 degrees at Midway Airport which is 9 degrees above normal and ranks 2^nd warmest on record since observations began there in 1928.  

Wednesday U.S. highs and departure from normal

It was a remarkably warm October open across much of the Lower 48. 

Roughly 157 million U.S. residents had highs of 80 degrees or warmer, and nearly 39 million were at or above 90 degrees. Highs were as much as 20 degrees above normal across the U.S./Canadian border.