Who remembers the heat wave much of the region experienced during the month of March in 2012? I know I do. The heat began early in the season during the month of March which sent many farmers into their fields to begin planting. But the jumpstart on the spring and summer warmth didn't come with much rainfall. March ended up just below the monthly average for precipitation at 2.09 inches (average 2.40 inches), and below average for snowfall. We were able to gain some moisture back during the month of April, but it was all downhill from there with several months in a row that ended up below their monthly average. This eventually led to extreme drought conditions over much of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin that lasted well into the Fall season.
During the month of March many high temperature records were broken in a stretch of nearly 8 consecutive days of record heat: March 15th-18th, and 20th-22nd. The only day that didn't achieve a record was on the 19th when the high temperature reached 77 degrees, one degree away from the record of 78 set back in 1921.
We won't end up with any record heat this upcoming weekend, but temperatures will feel more like early to mid-May, rather than late March. Highs on Friday will warm into the low 60s but we'll likely see a little more cloud cover during the afternoon, which could limit the overall temperature - especially to the north in Wisconsin. Winds will turn back to the southwest Saturday which will push highs close to 70 degrees for the afternoon.
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