Suburbanites try to stay cool as temp tops 90

Gabriel Turek would prefer winter all of the time so that he can go skiing. But the 20-year-old Lisle resident who is originally from Slovakia has found another hobby, one that helped him keep cool as temperatures topped 90 degrees Saturday afternoon in the suburbs.

"This is the first really nice day, so we decided to go Jet Skiing," said Turek, 20, who was picnicking with his family and friends along the Fox River in Elgin. "We bought them a few months ago and this is my first time Jet Skiing ever."

Groups of water sports enthusiasts were out in kayaks, racing personal watercraft, water skiing and wakeboarding on the year's hottest day so far. At 3:25 p.m. the weather website, wunderground.com, recorded a temperature of 96.3 degrees at Wing Park in Elgin. The previous record temperature for May 19 in Elgin was 90 degrees in 1988. The average temperature for May is 62.3 degrees, according to wunderground.com.

"This is a great spot to bring the Jet Skis," said Ryan Shaub, 27, of Elgin. "The water feels great. It's a lot warmer than I expected."

The official high at O'Hare International Airport was 92. Andrew Krein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, said it was unusual for the first 90 degree day to hit the area early.

"It is uncommon to see these kinds of temperatures at this time of year," Krein said. "These are typical more into late June or early July."

Last year, the temperature topped 90 degrees at O'Hare International Airport on May 10.

Krein said temperatures will cool down during the week before climbing back toward the 90-degree mark for the Memorial Day weekend.