Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Chicago Weather

It was two years ago this month, and I was just months from a return home to Chicago from Dubai.  I headed downtown for a couple of meetings, and decided to stop by Millennium Park en route north along Michigan Avenue.  I thought I'd be chilly, so I wore a mock turtleneck and brought a jacket.  But the temperatures climbed into the 80s, and I began to sweat even while walking leisurely along.  Other Chicagoans were in their T-shirts and shorts, and I quickly felt overdressed.

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The National Weather Service has gauged this season’s chills, in part, by noting the number of days with subzero temperatures from the start of November through the end of March. By that measure, the allegedly just-ended season had the fourth-most days with the mercury below zero.

But add in days when the temperature sunk to exactly zero, and suddenly, this season is Chicago’s new No. 1. 

“It looks like overall this winter has had the most zero or below,” said weather service meteorologist Richard Castro. “So it’s not just perception that it’s felt particularly brutal this year. The numbers say it.”

Reference:  Another Chicago record? Winter had most days at or below zero--ever.

That March 2012, I believe we hit a record stretch of days with temperatures topping the 80s.  It's all a far cry from the brutality of this winter.