When can I stop wearing my puffy coat? (Chicago: elementary school, college)

[southkakkatlantan]

Or my leather jacket? Or my super light khaki jacket?

Predict the first day this year the weather will be warm enough for me to walk outside and be comfortable without any type of second layer (ie jacket). Will it be in April? May?

In all seriousness though, how long would you say the weather is warm here? If you define warm as above 70? April-August? May-September? I was just checking out the accuweather historical data and it looks like, generally speaking, the 'warm season' here is from about mid-May to Mid-September. Does that seem about right?

I was overhearing a conversation from someone on the train that's apparently lived here for a very long time stating that 'spring/summer seasons have shortened in Chicago' and that colder weather seems to be starting earlier and ending later. Any long-term Chicagoans agree with this statement?

[chet everett]

I doubt that there is any hard evidence of such a trend.

There have been some articles suggesting that data fitted to an eight year cycle of the trends of the greater North Atlantic Oscillation may be correlated with reversals in weather trends -- A Cyclic Pattern in the North Atlantic Oscillation Index and Its Correspondence With Average Global Temperature

This may be psychologically important as people tend to remember things in units of less than a decade as part of "larger trend" -- it takes eight years to get through elementary school, another eight years for high school & college. Thus it is likely that people would get parts of at least two or three of these trends over the course of the youth...

Personally the "meterological spring" of my memory closely reflects this chart -- the band of where average high lows overlap rarely lasts longer than mid-April, but the "fat part" of super cold temps is historically in January -- https://weatherspark.com/averages/30...-United-States

[MannheimMadman]

Totally agree that as a whole, 'colder weather starting earlier and ending later' is a fallacy. It's probably crotchety old people saying that.

As noted in the link Chet provided, the warm season is mid to late May to mid September, sometimes even late September.

Winter wears on all of us. I know that at this point, I can't wait to wear just a windbreaker or sweater outside. Patience; our time is coming.

[pidgeon92]

Above 70? mid-June to mid-September. I do recall a few years ago it was warm starting in March, but that rarely happens.

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Above 70? mid-June to mid-September. I do recall a few years ago it was warm starting in March, but that rarely happens.

its so hilarious when people try to say things that can be disproved with a quick google search. there is actual DATA on this entire topic, people.

The historical average high on June 1st in Chicago is 75 degrees. The historical average high on MAY 14th is 70 degrees. May 14th is historically, on average, the first day with a high of 70.

[MassVt]

Don't be surprised if you have days in April that reach 70--it's been happening more and more often in the past several decades, in every northern state. There's usually a "teasing period" in which it suddenly warms up, and then snows a day or two later..

Fear not--your puffy coat will go into the closet soon enough. We turn the clocks ahead on March 8th, and the wheels have been set in motion..

[LeotheOrangeCat]

Generally the weather is acceptable from mid May through mid October. The last half of May and the first half of October can be chilly, but odds are it will be nice. All of September is fine, its of my favorite months for weather.

[knitgirl]

A few years ago it got up to 80 in March!

I wore a windbreaker not that long ago. Wasn't outside for all that long, and I had a hoodie on too, but I save my parka for weather below 20 or so.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by ForYourLungsOnly

its so hilarious when people try to say things that can be disproved with a quick google search. there is actual DATA on this entire topic, people.

The historical average high on June 1st in Chicago is 75 degrees. The historical average high on MAY 14th is 70 degrees. May 14th is historically, on average, the first day with a high of 70.

An average high doesn't mean it's over 70 all day long. The average low for May is 49. If you're not out at the warmest part of the day, you may certainly need a coat at the coldest time of the day.

[southkakkatlantan]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Don't be surprised if you have days in April that reach 70--it's been happening more and more often in the past several decades, in every northern state. There's usually a "teasing period" in which it suddenly warms up, and then snows a day or two later..

Fear not--your puffy coat will go into the closet soon enough. We turn the clocks ahead on March 8th, and the wheels have been set in motion..

March 8th? YESSSS!!!!! I'm having a countdown for this day. I absolutely cannot WAIT for more sunlight.