Tom Skilling

RI'm 2 hours south of Chicago, and we're supposed to be in the 80s most of the weekend. So I'd say it's fairly likely Chicago will be, too.

RYeah probably. Add into that the humidity factor of the great lakes.

Ryeah we are supposed to have a 105 heat index so 100 degrees is possible.

RI can only speak directly for Chicago, though unlike what somebody else here said, the differences between here and New York are not that huge in December. But January is another matter. :PA lot depends on what part of the month you will be here.Early December is just after Thanksgiving and is like (very) late fall. Late December is just before January, the coldest month of the year.The average high/low on Dec. 1st are 40°/26° F.For the 31st they are 30°/16° FIt also depends on what you are going to be doing and how long you are going to be here. In either case, leave your flip flops and cargo shorts in Orlando. lolWear socks that go up to your ankles and jeans that go down to your shoes.If you don't have a winter jacket, bring the heaviest jacket you have and do a lot of layering with a variety of t-shirts, regular shirts, sweat shirts, and sweaters. You can adjust the layering to the temperature for that day.It wouldn't hurt to have a scarf to keep your neck warm late in the month. Gloves or mittens are a must for extended activity outside late in the month.Wear practical footwear. It can snow here any time in December and you want shoes to protect your feet from the snow and slush.The average December snowfall is just under 9 inches.Let us know more about what you'll be doing here and we can give you more practical advice.With more specifics on weather, the all time record low temperature in Chicago for December was -25° F in 1983 and the record high was 71° F in 1982. What a difference a year makes.Start checking these sites regularly about 10 days before you arrive so you know what to expect.http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.98807738309159&lon=-87.902985014062&site=lot&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=enhttp://weblogs.wgntv.com/chicago-weather/tom-skilling-blog/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/?n=Dec_wx_trivia

RTom Skilling at WGN has said that this fall/winter may be a bit warmer than usual due to an El Nino effect. Typically when Chicago has had cool springs/early summers, it warms up in August and September. We just had 3 straight 90 degree days to show for it!Tom Skilling has an "Ask Tom" portion of his blog that you might ask him directly... but he's had some posts about it:http://weblogs.wgntv.com/chicago-weather/tom-skilling-blog/2009/07/unseasonably-cool-weather-to-p-1.htmlhttp://weblogs.wgntv.com/chicago-weather/tom-skilling-blog/2009/07/el-nino-and-chicago-winters.htmlThis doesn't discuss September directly... but it seems logical that it won't be too cold! September days are usually pretty pleasant... they can cool off at night, but they can change quite a bit day by day in a typical year.Hope it works out for you!

RChicago's weather is a collection of everything except hurricanes...even though it is the Windy City. That's why its airport is #1 of the Worst Weather US Airports." The amount of sub-zero days varies from year to year. Some years have none while others have about 20. I would guess that the average is *5 or 6.* the average is 9 according to WGN's Tom Skilling:http://blog.chicagoweathercenter.com/2010/09/comparing-last-winters-below-zero-days.html

RIt looks like you're in luck this year! "crowded"? - The city has eliminated the double rows of food booths and given people more room to move about with only one rows of food vendors on Columbus Drive. There's still plenty of restaurants from which to choose. "hot"? - well , if you get there Jun 30, Jul 1 or 2, it's the coldest for this date in 79 years in Chicago, acc. to WGN's weather guy Tom Skilling. If you wait until Jul 3 4-5, it's going to be up in the 80s again."expensive"?- the restaurants have added another "Taste" portion for $2.50, so each place has two menu items for this lower price. Of course you will still pay $7.00 for the lobster taste, $7.00 for the shark, etc. Beverages are also overpriced.But if you've never been to the Taste, this Wed., and Thurs are the days to go. When you open the link below, click on Food Vendors in the left column to see what each rest. is serving.

RBroadcast meteorologists at the beginning of their career The avg. salary for a broadcast meteorologist in Chicago is about $125,000. per year. In Charlotte,NC it is about $75,000. per year.It also depends upon years of experience as well as how well knowm you become. The very well know TV weathermen may get as much a $2 million per year such as on Good Morning America but that amount is rare.Tom Skilling the weather forecaster for WGN news in Chicago and one of the best in the business, recently signed a new deal with a seven-figure salary, which makes him the highest paid in his field.

RYes, although extremely rare, they do occur. In 1987, a tornado touched down briefly during a snow squall on the south shore of White Fish Bay; located 6 miles northwest of Bay Mills, WI. A mobile home was unroofed and insulation was blown out from its walls.About 15 years ago, I heard of a damaging tornado that occurred in Japan during a snow storm. But I was not able to find any information at this time on the internet.In the winter, most of the time, they will occur on the warm sector of the cold front, but there are cases when they have occurred on the cold side.http://www.srh.noaa.gov/maf/apps/trivia/?month=4&day=1http://weblogs.wgntv.com/chicago-weather/tom-skilling-blog/2009/10/ornadoes-produced-by-a-snowsto.html

ROr you can simply Google "Chicago weather." Tom Skilling rules in my book; I check his reports at either the Chicago Tribune's website or at that for WGN Channel 9.