Thursday: July-level warmth in early October

Abundant sunshine and unseasonably warm weather returned to much of the metro area Thursday afternoon as highs soared into the middle 80s at both major airports, and even close to 90 degrees south of Interstate 80. 

The official 85 degree high was not only 16 degrees above normal but equivalent to the normal high on July 10^th.  

2025 80 degree tally

The annual 80-degree tally continues to grow at both airports. We logged an 80-degree or warmer temperature for the 14^th time since mid-September. 

Drought monitor 

Much of the metro area has now been upgraded to moderate drought. Officially since September 1, only 14% of normal rainfall has been tallied at O’Hare International Airport, a level nearly 3” below normal.  

Unseasonably warm stretch 

Since mid-September, the unseasonably warm temperatures have posted a near 9-degree surplus at Midway Airport, good enough to rank 2^nd warmest of the past 98 years on the south side.

Thursday U.S. highs and departures from normal

Unseasonable summer-level warmth pushed far north, with near 80-degree temperatures along the U.S./Canadian border. More than 161 million U.S. residents at or above 80-degrees. Highs soared 20+ degrees above normal across a large swath of the Upper Midwest.