Rant: Cooler near the lake

[jim]

Damn I hate that phrase. Anyone that lives here hates that phrase. I'm going to the game Tuesday night, and on first appearance it looks like it's going to be a beautiful evening for baseball:

Code: Select all

Today Partly sunny, with a high near 67. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.

The kicker in that forecast that people from Chicago may not see is the wind direction - Northeast. Go to a more localized forecast from Tom Skilling and you see this:

Sunday
HIGH/LOW
70°/47°

As low pressure over the Tennessee Valley slowly draws away from this area and high pressure over the northern plains approaches, the Chicago area continues under the influence of a light east to northeast flow.
Early morning temperatures start out in the 40s and rise through the 50s and 60s, with inland highs peaking around 70 degrees mid- afternoon with cooler readings (closer to 60°) along the Lake Michigan shoreline. More sun than Saturday. Mostly clear skies and light winds overnight with lows dropping into the mid to upper 40s away from the warmer city.

Monday
HIGH/LOW
71°/46°

Mostly Sunny skies. Cooler temps by the lake.
Mostly sunny skies with a northeast breeze holding afternoon highs along and just inland of the lake in the upper 50s to lower 60s, while farther inland readings again reach into the lower 70s. Clear and cool at night.

Tuesday
HIGH/LOW
73°/49°

Plenty of sun despite an increase in high thin cirrus clouds and scattered fair-weather cumulus.
Afternoon highs in the low to middle 70s. Partly cloudy at night. Light easterly winds.

Now Tuesday looks iffy - it just depends on how light those easterly winds are. They will have to be very very light to not drag those temperatures from a pleasant low 70 reading to a teeth chattering upper 50's.

I told karp this and I'll tell it to anyone coming this week for the games - you can not assume the temperatures at Wrigley will be anywhere close to what you see on a forecast. The lake really messes with the climate, especially in the spring/earlyl summer when the water is so cold. I hate that [expletive] lake.

[Radbird]

I thought you lived fairly close to the lake.

[JL21]

I went to Wrigley last year in late July and it was 80. Cooler by the lake was [expletive] awesome.

[stlouie_lipp]

Yeah, if the winds are blowing off the lake in April, dress like you are going to a Bears game, not a Cubs game. My friend has a partial season tix package and his seats are on the third base line directly facing the lake. He gave me that advice one year and he was right.

[jim]

I was grilling outside today in shorts and a t-shirt, it was really a nice day probably about 70 degrees. Walked in and the TV was playing the local news, and they said it was currently 49 in Wilmette. That's 30 miles from me, and about 12 miles from Wrigley.

[jim]

Yep, cooler near the god damned lake tomorrow:

Code: Select all

Mostly sunny and mild.
Highest temperatures in the middle 70s well inland, however a breeze off lake Michigan will hold temperatures along and just inland of the shoreline in the upper 50s to middle 60s. Partly cloudy at night.

jl21 mentioned the cooling down in the summer as a positive, and I will admit that there are a few occasions where the change the lake inflicts is positive. But by and large it's negative. It brings clouds and moisture and the temperature of the lake water inland. In the winter when it's near freezing it theoretically makes it warmer by the lake, but it's damp so you don't notice. 32 and dry is better than 38 and damp. If it's really cold it just brings snow - boatloads of it sometimes. We can get dumped on while 50 miles away it's sunny. In fact I've seen it where you could look in the sky and see the line of clouds.

The spring is the worst though because the temps are starting to get nice outside but that water is still ice cold. I know some think I'm overstating it, but I worked downtown Chicago for 2 years and I swear to you spring does not come until June.

Although 50's and sunshine in Chicago in May is nothing to sneeze at, I'll take it. I know to bundle up, but I guarantee you tomorrow I will see pockets of St. Louisans absolutely freezing their asses off because they weren't prepared.

[stlouie_lipp]

I got burned by the opposite of this in Milwaukee yesterday. The morning weather girl said closer to 60 degrees closer to the lake and Miller Park, mid-70s further west. So, I wore long sleeves. The damn roof was open, sun blaring, and the temp had to be 75. Thank God I wore shorts to hedge my bets or I would have had a heat stroke.

[jim]

Yeah it doesn't take much for them to really miss that forecast. A little lighter wind, a slight shift in direction, and it's an entirely new ballgame. I'm pretty sure since it's a night game I'll be safe with jeans and a long sleeved shirt under my Yadi BP jersey, a Cardinal jacket, and a stocking cap.

[Molly]

I was picturing this:

and

[lukethedrifter]

right