The Chicago area is waking up to another cold fall morning as the frost warnings and frost warnings for nearly all of northeastern Illinois, with similar conditions expected again Thursday morning, NBC 5 Storm Team reported.
The conditions arrive after a day of cold, wet weather that left hail accumulated in some Chicago yards and sidewalks in a scene that looked strikingly similar to a layer of snow.
According to the National Weather Service, a frost advisory was in effect until 9 a.m. for McHenry, DeKalb, Kane, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy and Kenosha counties, with freezing temperatures as low as 28 degrees. In Lake, northern Cook, Will and Kankakee counties, a frost advisory was issued until 9 a.m., with temperatures potentially reaching 32 degrees, the NWS said.
“Frost and freezing conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation, and possibly damage outdoor pipes,” the NWS said.
According to NBC 5 meteorologist Alicia Roman, Wednesday will be a drier and slightly warmer day, with highs between 50 and 55 degrees.
Temperatures are expected to rebound to around 60 degrees by Thursday, Roman said. But before that, another round of frost was forecast, although no warnings or advisories had yet been issued.
“Widespread frost and near-freezing temperatures are expected tonight away from Chicago and the lake shore, resulting in the end of the growing season for much of the area,” the NWS said of Wednesday night through Thursday morning. “Be sure to cover sensitive plants or bring them indoors!”
Temperatures on Friday are expected to reach 70 degrees, with even milder conditions over the weekend, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
When is the average first frost in Chicago?
According to N.W.Sthe typical first fall frost occurs in mid-October in most of the Chicago area, between October 11 and 20.
“Basically, we’re on the right schedule,” Roman said Wednesday.
The exact average date for the first frost in Chicago is October 19, and in areas closest to the lake that date slides into the last week of the month or even the first week of November due to proximity to Lake Michigan.
For the rest of the suburbs, the first frost usually occurs earlier, around October 13 in Rockford.
According to Roman, the earliest first frost recorded in the Chicago area occurred on Sept. 22, 1995. The latest first frost was on Nov. 24, 1931, Roman said.
In 2023, the first subzero temperature in Chicago It did not occur until October 30, when the minimum temperature was 31 degrees. The next day, on Halloween, the city saw nearly an inch of snow, its first measurable snowfall of the season.
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