On Saturday, Chicago got a welcome, if rare, warm January day in a month normally associated with bitter cold.
Temperatures hit 59 degrees at O’Hare International Airport, missing a record of 62 degrees set on Jan. 21, 1908, according to Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville. The last time Chicago recorded a 60-degree day in this month was on Jan. 29, 2013.
A temperature of 60 degrees was reported at Midway Airport, but an official high temperature was not yet available.
“It’s just a normal fluctuation in the weather,” Izzi said. “But it is rare. On average we only get a 60-degree day in January about once every five years.”
The sun and warm temperatures may have contributed to the increased attendance at the Women’s March on Chicago on Saturday. Organizers planned for as many as 60,000 people to attend, but a crowd nearly five times that showed up, organizers said, prompting them to formally cancel the march and keep the rally in Grant Park.
The march was part of a network of demonstrations taking place in cities across the country on Saturday that coincided with President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Organizers and attendees said they came to advocate for women’s rights, among other causes.
Temperatures were expected to drop into the low 40s Saturday night, which could bring back widespread, heavy fog until 9 a.m. Sunday.
A high of 44 was forecast for Sunday.
