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Record High Temperature Set For Fourth Consecutive Day

CHICAGO (STMW) - For the fourth day in a row, a record-setting high temperature has been set in Chicago.

The temperature at O'Hare International Airport, where Chicago's official temperature is recorded, was 75 degrees at 11:51 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The record high temperature for March 17 had been 74 degrees, which was set in 2009.

This is the fourth straight day a record high temperature has been set in Chicago.

Friday's high of 82 degrees beat the old high temperature record for March 16 of 78 degrees, set in 1945, as well as setting the record for the earliest 82-degree day in Chicago, which had previously been set in 1945.

The new record comes on the heels of high temperatures of 81 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, which smashed the record highs for March 14 and 15, according to the weather service.

The normal high temperature for March 16-18 in Chicago is 47 degrees, according to the weather service.

We are in the midst of a record-setting pattern of warmth, according to the weather service.

Daily record highs and record warm lows are in jeopardy over the next few days, and according to the weather service we may not merely break, but shatter the record for the highest average high in March, also set in 1945. The normal average high for March is 37.9, and as of Friday, the average for the month is near 47, with highs in the 60s predicted for at least the next week. The average high in that record-setting 1945 March was 48.6.

The record high temperature for March 18 in Chicago is also 74 degrees, which could also be broken, if the forecast high of 76 degrees holds. The forecast high temperatures of 77 and 76 degrees for Monday and Tuesday, respectively, are also near record-setting.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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