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2008: "Pneumonia Front" causes big temperature drops in Chicago

2008: "Pneumonia Front" causes big temperature drops in Chicago

Author: AccuWeather May 26, 2022 Duration: 1:59
This Date in Weather History
History
The term Pneumonia front, first coined by Milwaukee Weather Bureau Office in the 1960s,  is used to describe a rare meteorological phenomenon observed on the western Lake Michigan shoreline during the warm season. These fronts are defined as lake-modified small scale cold fronts that result in one-hour temperature drops of 16 °F or greater.  They do not necessarily have to be large scale, cold fronts to bring weather changes to an entire region. Very often in the spring to early summer the temperature difference between the cold lake waters and the warmer air over land can be as much as 35–40 °F . Under weak prevailing winds, an air current can often develop in the form of a lake breeze that moves from that water to the adjacent shoreline to as much as several miles inland. This "lake-breeze cold front" can drop temperature in places like Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay significantly as they cross the area. There has been many a spring day at Wrigley Field that surprises Cub fans who may have travelled from an inland location toward the shore to take in an afternoon game at Wrigley just a few blocks from the lakeshore, only to feel the effects of the "pneumonia front" as that cold blast of air comes through. On May 26, 2008 such a front caused temperatures to drop in Chicago from 72 at 10 pm to 55 an hour later. Winds had gone from light and westerly to northeasterly with gusts up to 40 mph along the lake. Other areas along the lake dropped from the mid 76 to the upper 40s

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Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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This Date in Weather History
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1908: Record flooding impacts north and central Texas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16
By May 23, 1908 4-8" of rain fallen across much of northern and central Texas in the preceding days on already saturated land especially on the upper Trinity and Brazos River Basins. The rise in the rivers continued for…
1933: 600-yd wide tornado destroys town of Liberal, KS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:40
The Dust Bowl was one of the greatest natural disasters to ever befall the United States, it devastated the Great Plains states in the 1930s. It is considered the worst drought to impact North America in 1,000 years. Uns…
The May 1957 Tornado Outbreak [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:16
The May 1957 tornado outbreak took place across the US Central Plains from May 19 to May 21, 1957. An F5 tornado, the strongest on the tornado intensity scale, on May 21 was the most significant in the outbreak and is kn…
2007: Temperature reaches 115°F in Sibi, Pakistan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:32
Extreme heat can be rather uncomfortable. But what actually happens to the human body as the mercury rises? On humid days, when the air is already saturated with water, sweat evaporates more slowly. This explains why it…
1894: Severe storms and wind sinks 9 ships on Lake Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35
Ever since people have traveled the Great Lakes, storms have sunk ships and taken lives. In fact, the very first recorded sailing vessel on the upper lakes, was lost in 1679. Since that time, massive and historical storm…
1814: Logs in swollen Maine rivers cause destruction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:24
The state of Maine is known for many things, including my favorite, Maine lobsters. But one of the longest running industries in North America, dating back until the early 1600s is logging. The British Royal Navy quickly…
1874: The Mill River Flood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43
In 1865, a group of mill owners from the Northampton area of Massachusetts constructed a dam on the Mill River north of the town of Williamsburg, it was constructed by using a design drawn by one of the owners, a man wit…
1968: Five tornadoes strike Iowa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50
During the late afternoon and early evening of May 15, 1968, five tornadoes, two F1s, one F2, and two F5s occurred in Iowa. These tornadoes were part of the May 15-16, 1968 outbreak with a total of 39 tornadoes which aff…
1834: Late-season storm brings snow from Ohio to New England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50
Late season snowstorms, like those in the autumn can cause havoc in a different way than those in the middle of winter. Many trees in both seasons are in full or partial leaf, as are bushes and other shrubby. In the midd…

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