Illinois's mild winter is officially the third warmest on record, as the average temperature has registered about 5 above normal.
The Associated Press reports the average Illinois temperature December through February--which constitutes the meteorological winter-- has been 34.2 degrees. That number is surpassed only by winter 1931-1932 (37.1 degrees) and 1997-1998 and 2001-2002, which tied at 34.5 degrees.
Chicago has also had its warmest winter in 80 years. Snowfall in northern Illinois was down some 75 percent, while snowfall in central and southern Illinois was down 25 to 50 percent, according to the AP. (Read more...)
