Midwest weather warms up

They'll be talking "heat stressing developing crops" before long you watch.

Tom Skilling of WGN reports that it's unlikely daytime temperatures are going to flirt again with 50 degrees -- as they did Tuesday -- anytime soon. Chicago readings rebounded to 62 degrees Wednesday and are predicted to surge to 73 degrees Thursday and 80 degrees Friday. The big atmospheric changes behind the warm-up show no sign of abating in the coming two weeks -- a period in which nearly all daily average temperatures are likely to finish near or warmer than normal. It's a welcome change which more nearly parallels the warmth
observed here a year ago when the high reach 88 degrees.

The three month "meteorological summer" season begins as June arrives Sunday -- and not a moment too soon. Three out of four days this month have been cooler than normal.

Here's the outlook for Chicago for the first half of June: