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Ask Tom Why archives

Ask Tom why: What is the latest date that Chicago's temperature dropped below zero?

Ask Tom why: Can drizzle occur when the temperature is 51 degrees below zero?

How soon can we expect our first 60-degree day of the season?

Ask Tom why: What is the city's warmest Groundhog Day?

Ask Tom why: January is Chicago's coldest month, but is it always the coldest month every winter?

Ask Tom why: How common is it to go an entire winter without a below zero temperature?

Ask Tom why: The blizzard of 1967 was nasty. With all the advances in meteorology since then, would Chicago still be crippled the same?

Ask Tom why: I worked at O'Hare International Airport from 1981-1995 and remember extremely cold weather two weekends in a row in the early 1980s. What year was that?

Ask Tom why: Chicago's normal daytime high has been stuck at 31 degrees for some time now. I thought it went down to 28 for the normal high at this time of year?

Ask Tom why: My girlfriend says there has always been snow on the ground on her birthday, Jan. 22. How accurate is that?

Ask Tom why: Over a typical winter season, are there more days with snow cover or without?

Ask Tom why: There have been different locations where Chicago's official weather observations have been taken since 1871. How does the older equipment and record keeping compare to today?

Ask Tom why: Is March the snowiest month in Chicago?

Ask Tom why: My dad's birthday is Jan 20, and my mother and I remember that the mercury fell to 27 below zero. Did that day have Chicago's lowest mean daily temperature?

Ask Tom why: At the end of September I saw a massive shooting star. Do you have any records of that event?

Ask Tom why: I teach 3rd grade and a student asked the meaning of "bimulous." Could you please define it?

Ask Tom why: Why is an official snowfall 0.1 inch, but for a white Christmas there has to 1 inch or more on the ground?

Ask Tom why: Which winters in the last 20 years or so had very little snow?

Ask Tom why: Can you explain how the last great ice age ended without human contribution?

Ask Tom why: Is it possible to see the northern lights in the Chicago area?

Ask Tom why: Was the disappearance of the dinosaurs due to changing weather?

Ask Tom why: Is it true that there was a nearly 50-degree temperature rise in just two minutes in South Dakota?

Ask Tom why: What is the least amount of snow we've ever had in a winter?

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Ask Tom why: What is the latest arrival of Chicago's first single-digit temperature of the season?

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Ask Tom why: The high and low temperature records for Dec. 25 occurred in consecutive years, 1982 and 1983. How rare is that?

Ask Tom why: Why do some depictions of jet streams show them to be narrow, but other depictions show them to be wide?

Ask Tom why: Where could I move to where last month's mild weather in Chicago would be the December norm?

Ask Tom why: Why do we not have thunderstorms with major snowstorms during the winter?

Ask Tom why: What is a reasonable range for the number of times Chicago can expect a snowfall of 2 inches or greater during a winter season?

Ask Tom why: Has there ever been snow in Miami?

Ask Tom why: I remember some bitterly cold New Year's Eves in the late 1960s or early 1970s; can you refresh my memories?

Ask Tom why: What were the biggest snowstorms in late-starting snow seasons like this one?

Ask Tom why: Have we ever experienced a December with as little snowfall as this past December?

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Ask Tom why: How long do water molecules live?

Ask Tom why: How does the Greenland block affect snowfall?

Ask Tom why: How often has the ground been bare in Chicago on New Year's Day?

Ask Tom why: Has the relative humidity ever dropped to zero percent?

Ask Tom why: Was July 1934 one of the hottest months on record at Midway?

Ask Tom why: Has Chicago ever had a December, January or February without snow?

Ask Tom why: Has Chicago ever had a winter in which no single snowfall exceeded 1 inch?

Ask Tom why: My granddaughter said she saw snow falling when it was 51 degrees outside. I know it wasn't snowing, but what is the warmest it has been and still snowed?

Ask Tom why: Does wind chill affect the freezing of water and/or mortar used in bricklaying?

Ask Tom why: What do you think the coming winter will be like?

Ask Tom why: What causes the eastern sky to be red at sunrise and the western sky to be red at sunset?

Ask Tom why: Is it true that skyscrapers in and around Chicago's Loop protect that area from tornadoes?

Ask Tom why: What day has the greatest, and least, likelihood of precipitation?

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Ask Tom why: My grandmother and mother remember huge waves on Lake Michigan that reached the second floor of a building on Argyle Street. Do you know when this occurred?

Ask Tom why: What effect, if any, did the March earthquake in Japan have on worldwide weather patterns?

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Ask Tom why: When can we expect the last snow of the season?

Ask Tom why: Can you tell me when it was 80 below zero in Chicago?

Ask Tom why: What will Chicago's winter be like?

Ask Tom why: What is the difference between a blizzard and a ground blizzard, and a winter storm and a snowstorm?

Ask Tom why: Has Chicago ever had a winter without measurable snow?

Ask Tom why: What is the latest date for an 80-degree day in Chicago?

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Ask Tom why: What are Chicago's temperature records for the month of December?

Ask Tom why: What are the temperature extremes for Thanksgiving, and how many times have temperatures on the holiday reached at least 60 degrees?

Ask Tom why: How often do we see drastic temperature changes of 25 degrees or more from one day to the next in Chicago?

Ask Tom why: Why in winter do we sometimes have a high temperature that is 30 degrees below normal, near zero, but never a summer high temperature that is 30 degrees below normal, say in the 50s in July?

Ask Tom why: I have heard that November's weather sets the tone for the following winter. You indicated this November was the 11th warmest of all Novembers, suggesting winter should be milder. Do the records support this?

Ask Tom why: If it is cold enough for freezing rain, why wouldn't it just snow instead?

Ask Tom why: What is the year's earliest sunset time for the Chicago area?

Ask Tom why: What was high temperature on Christmas in 1982?

Ask Tom why: What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?

Ask Tom why: What is high pressure?

Ask Tom why: With the exception of the summer of 1988, I don't remember it ever being so consistently warm overnight as this summer. What do the temperature data say?

Ask Tom why: Can you elaborate on the Great Blue Norther?

Ask Tom why: How do winds form?

Ask Tom why: Has there ever been a month that exceeded the snowfall total of 42 inches for December 2000?

Ask Tom why: How often has Chicago's barometric pressure dropped below 29.00 inches?

Ask Tom why: What indicators should I look for in order to determine if frost will form on the windshield of my car?

Ask Tom why: Why does the weather on the island of Hawaii vary from a jungle on one side to a desert on the other?

Ask Tom why: Why is it always so cold in Stanley, Idaho?

Ask Tom why: Is it dangerous to use a cellphone during a thunderstorm because of lightning?

Ask Tom why: Which major league baseball team has had the most games postponed due to inclement weather?

Ask Tom why: How many times has Chicago's temperature dropped below 20 degrees below zero?

Ask Tom why: What is a hypercane?

Ask Tom why: How does the salt content of Lake Michigan water compare to that of the oceans?

Ask Tom why: My son is worried about snow on Halloween in Chicago. What is the likelihood?

Ask Tom why: Why are cooling degree days accumulated on an annual basis while heating degree days are longed from July 1-June 30?

Ask Tom why: How long can a cut-off low weather system keep going?

Ask Tom why: Has it ever not snowed before Christmas in the Chicago area?

Ask Tom why: Is there a day or week in January or February after which we can say the average temperature is likely to start increasing?

Ask Tom why: What is the earliest in the fall it has ever snowed in Chicago?

Ask Tom why: What have been the city's five biggest Christmas Day snowfalls?

Ask Tom why: Is it true that in Juneau, Alaska, it rains 250 days a year and snows the rest?

Ask Tom why: What is the best time of day to water lawns and gardens?

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Ask Tom why: Before switching from daylight saving time this year, sunrise will be approaching 7:30 a.m. When did Chicago last have so late a sunrise?

Ask Tom why: Has a tornado ever hit in Chicago?

Ask Tom why: Dew points were in the upper 60s and 70s this summer when we had our hot weather. How does this compare with other past Chicago hot spells?

Ask Tom why: I remember a period when every month had at least one 70-degree day. Can you tell me when that was?

Ask Tom why: Has there ever been a tornado during a blizzard?

Ask Tom why: I remember a low of 32 degrees on Sept. 22, 1995. Is that our earliest freeze?

Ask Tom why: How often has Chicago recorded a snow depth of 20 inches or more for at least a week?

Ask Tom why: Which calendar day in Chicago has the most reports of precipitation?

Ask Tom why: You have said that humid air is less dense than dry air. A recent article stated pitchers like high humidity. Is that contradictory?

Ask Tom why: Is it possible for relative humidity to exceed 100 percent?

Ask Tom why: What is the origin of the phrase "raining cats and dogs"?

Ask Tom why: Is it true that ground temperatures at a depth of 15 feet are warmest during the winter and coolest during the summer?

Ask Tom why: What is the comparison between Hurricane Irene and New England's Great Hurricane of 1938?

Ask Tom why: Why is frost more noticeable as the sun rises?

Ask Tom why: Could you provide summary data for this summer?

Ask Tom why: Have scientists ever measured the length of lightning bolts?

Ask Tom why: Which month is Chicago's all-time sunniest?

Ask Tom why: I've noticed that tornadoes are now classified using "EF" and a number when they used to be referred to using only an "F." Has the reporting system changed?

Ask Tom why: What is the shortest amount of time in Chicago between an 80-degree day and a measurable snowfall?

Ask Tom why: I heard we're supposed to have another snowy winter and the past few winters were very snowy. Can you confirm these statements?

Ask Tom why: How can it drizzle when there isn't a cloud in sight?

Ask Tom why: What made the moon appear so large and so orange when it was low in the sky Sept. 17?

Ask Tom why: Where were Chicago weather observation taken 75-100 years ago?

Ask Tom Why: Please do something about this awful weather! I want it to be 40 degrees, gray skies, with a strong wind blowing.

Ask Tom why: What weather condition causes my great-granddaughter's fine, fluffy hair to sometimes stand on end?

Ask Tom why: Do tornadoes travel southwest to northeast?

Ask Tom why: Is it true that the temperature in Miami has never reached 100 degrees?

Ask Tom why: The "hurricane cones" for hurricanes this year seem to be narrow compared to the cones in recent years. What is the explanation?
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