Rain could have been worse; today will be
A day that started with record-breaking temperatures ended with less rain than expected in advance of the cold front that will send us back to normal January weather Wednesday.
Temperatures reached 60 degrees at O'Hare International Airport at 6:50 a.m., and peaked at 63 degrees at 1:27 p.m., making it the warmest Jan. 29 in history.
Temperatures began to fall along with rain, as thunderstorms moved into the Chicago area Tuesday afternoon. But it still was an unseasonable 53 degrees at O'Hare at 10 p.m.
Rainfall totals up to two inches and possibly higher in some areas had been expected but fell short of predictions, National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Seeley said.
“We've got a lot of reports of between one and 1½ inches,” she said Tuesday night. Ponding of water on roadways was reported throughout the suburbs, but police and fire agencies did not report any significant issues because of the rain.
The final high temperature for the day didn't surpass the warmest January day in history, which was 67 degrees.
The warm weather isn't sticking around, with today's temperatures expected in the 30s with a rain-snow mix turning to snow later in the day. The high will be in the 40s in the morning but by nighttime will drop into the teens, Seeley said.
Although less than an inch of snow is predicted, Seeley said the wintry mix could lead to messy roadways.
Below-freezing temperatures will return Thursday and Friday, with highs predicted in the teens. The overnight low on Thursday is expected to fall to 5 degrees.