According to the Chicago Tribune, October was an extremely dry month for Illinois, with precipitation across the state more than an inch below average for the month. Colchester, a small town near Macomb, experienced the driest October with only 0.22 inches of precipitation. Most of western Illinois saw less than an inch of rain for the entire month.
Here are some facts about the extreme weather the Chicago area has experienced this year:
* Late January and early February saw a major blizzard and frigid temperatures, according to Chicago Breaking News.
* The Washington Post reported the blizzard was so intense that it was Chicago's third-biggest snowstorm on record, putting it at the top with the blizzards of 1999 and 1967.
* The Windy City saw up to 20.2 inches of snow and snow drifts up to 12 feet.
* CNN reported that the National Weather Service issued a special advisory warning residents to stay indoors after the snow storm created a "potentially life threatening situation."
* Following the mass amounts of snow, temperatures dropped to 11-15 degrees below zero, with wind chills between 25 to 35 below zero.
*Mid-February also saw spring-like temperatures nearly close to 60 degrees, reported Yahoo! News.
* Chicago braved yet another snow storm in late February, a record-breaker with it being the snowiest February on record with a total of 28.7 inches, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.
* According to the Huffington Post, the spring months brought more extreme weather, including the threat of hail and tornadoes in April.
* Sweltering temperatures plagued July, as noted by another Huffington Post article. In some places the heat index reached 111 degrees.
* By the beginning of late-July, the high temperatures and humidity had already claimed the lives of six people, a majority elderly residents, reported Yahoo! News.
* The heat wave was compared to 1995 Chicago heat wave which led to more than 700 heat-related deaths.
* Heavy and record-breaking rainstorms pushed through Chicago in late July, according to the Chicago Tribune, resulting in dangerous flash foods, extensive damage to homes and property, and over 150,000 residences experiencing power outages.
* Rainfall recorded at O'Hare Airport totaled 6.91 inches of rain by 6:50 a.m. on July 23, the largest single-day rainfall since records began in the state in 1871.
* In September, the Chicago Tribune noted that the National Weather Service announced that the summer of 2011 would go down in the books as one of the wettest and hottest summers for the Chicago area.
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
