Farmer’s Almanac: Here’s What Illinois’ Summer Will Be Like

In case you hadn't considered it yet, the first day of summer is just a little over 60 days away (Wednesday, June 21st).

It's totally okay if you haven't spent any mental energy pondering what kind of weather Illinois will be enjoying/hating/trying to deal with in the summer of 2023, because we're still (probably) burping green beer, digging ourselves out of a pile of hailstones and trying to keep our butts from freezing off.

I find one of the best ways to deal with the late stages of winter is to look ahead toward summertime (actually, staying in a warm bed until then would be the best way, but my wife and employer aren't on board with that method).

How Do You Prefer Your Summer In Illinois, Hot And Humid Or Cool And Dry?

Taking a look through some of Rockford's weather records over the years shows that we aren't strangers to some odd highs and lows when it comes to temperatures.

• According to the National Weather Service, Rockford's all-time hottest day was on July 14, 1936, when we hit a daytime high temperature of 112 degrees. However, summertime in Northern Illinois has produced some seriously low temperatures, too.
• Rockford's coldest June day ever recorded happened back when World War II was about to come to a close on June 3, 1945. The daytime high was 50 degrees, and the overnight low was only 35.
• We just covered how July 14th, 1936 produced our all-time high of 112 degrees, but the lowest July temperatures recorded in Rockford occurred on July 4th, 1967 when our daytime high was 62 degrees, and our overnight low dropped down to 43 degrees.
• As for August, our coldest day was on August 25th of 1987, when we reached a high temperature of 59 degrees and we dropped to 35 degrees for an overnight low on August 30th of 1915.

Let's Get Back To What We Can Expect During The Summer Of 2023 In Illinois

As Patch.com points out, the Farmer's Almanac is using certain words about our upcoming summer that those of you who prefer their weather to be cooler and drier just aren't going to like:

The Farmers’ Almanac has released its extended summer forecast, and the words you need to know in much of the country (including Illinois and the Midwest) are “sizzling,” “scorching,” “sweltering” and “oppressive.”

Sweltering, triple-digit temperatures and high humidity are expected to settle in across much of the country around the Fourth of July and continue through August. With heat indices are figured in, the “feel like” temperature could be 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, according to the forecast.

They say we can also expect heavier than normal rainfall and thunderstorm activity throughout Illinois and the rest of the Midwest.