Chicago is Way Below Average For Rainfall This Time of Year. Does That Mean a Dry Winter, Too?

Chicago may have seen its fair share of storms and rain this year so far — but not so much in August. In fact, the city is significantly below average for rainfall this month. According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, Chicago typically sees an average of 3.06 inches of rainfall from July 1 to Aug. 1. This year however, the Windy City has seen less than half of that, at 1.06 inches. While that’s not the lowest on record, it’s not far from it. From that same time period in 1893, August in Chicago saw only 0.18 inches of rainfall. The National Weather Service reports that August in Chicago is typically a fairly rainy month. In August of 1987, Chicago set a record for rainfall, with 17.10 inches. And, August ranks in Chicago’s top 10 wettest months on the books, appearing four times on that list: Chicago’s Top 10 Wettest Months: Aug. 1987: 17.10 inchesSept. 1961: 14.17 inchesSept 2008: 13.63 inchesAug. 2001: 12.25 inchesOct. 1954: 12.06 inchesAug. 1885: 11.28 inchesJuly 2011: 11.15 inchesJune 1892: 10.58 inchesJune 1993: 9.96 inchesAug. 2007: 9.70 inches Across the country, Dallas, Texas has been hit hard by heavy rain and dangerous flooding, with preliminary estimates indicating that from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning, nearly 10 inches of rain fell in the east part of the city. Comparatively, that’s more than the total rain Chicago has received in the past 108 days combined. According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago will remain dry, with the next chance of showers and thunderstorms Thursday evening.  chicago winter forecast Aug 10 Cold Weather Haters, Look Away: Old Farmer's Almanac Calls for Rough Chicago Winter Daylight Saving Time Mar 16 How Permanent Daylight Saving Time Would Change Winters in Illinois Does a Dry August Mean a Dry Winter for Chicago? Not necessarily. According to projections, the winter months could see above-average precipitation through most of Illinois and Indiana, with that pattern repeating itself through most of the Great Lakes. Things could get especially dicey in the three-month stretch between January and March, with just about all of Illinois and Indiana seeing at least a 70% chance of above-average precipitation. In terms of temperature, NWS’ models have not yet established a pattern, saying that there is a 50/50 chance of either above or below-average temperatures during the winter months. Last year, the Chicago area experienced a normal winter in terms of temperatures, with above-average readings in December getting balanced out by below-average readings in January and February, the three months that comprise “meteorological winter.” Parts of northern Illinois received significantly less snowfall than usual, with Rockford finishing with 15.7 inches of accumulation, more than a foot less than it normally receives. The city of Chicago received 28.6 inches of snow, right around the city’s average. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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