Wild and Wet Spring In Winnetka and the North Shore Suburbs

Hold on to your hat (if you're smart enough to wear one!)  It's not just the rain, but wind and hail too. Whatever little sayings you have heard about Midwestern weather, they are surely all true this Spring of 2011.

One of the first things that transplants moving here must get used to are the wild swings in weather - 80 and sunny on Monday, then 45 and blustery on Tuesday.  This spring has seen many of those kinds of days but mostly it's been just plain . . . damp. If  you have taken to watching the new HBO show, The Killing, where Seattle is the backdrop, you will have an idea of how much rain we've been getting.  I've been buying umbrellas only to have them whipped inside out and made dangerously unsafe with spokes dangling and poking every which way.

So how much rain have we really had.  Enough to cancel untold numbers of outdoor sport events like baseball and soccer.  Enough to cause an unprecedented rise in allergies.  To quote the Chicago Tribune:  "The choppy, indecisive early spring weather for which Chicago is known, with temperatures jumping between balmy and freezing every few days, might also be to blame . . . When it warms up and cools down, pollination starts and stops and immune systems don't know how to react."

"Also contributing: one of the rainiest Aprils on record. While that might be great for yard plants, it's a big problem for people with allergies, said Dr. Joseph Leija."

The rains have caused numerous flood advisories in Cook and neighboring counties and boaters have been warned to take caution because of  10-15 foot waves and 35 mph winds are forecast.

BUT - it can all be kind of exciting and an adventure too.  I remember growing up in Los Angeles and getting b-o-r-e-d with endless days of blue sky and piercing sun. I'm not saying I don't miss it, I'm just saying . . .