ASK TOM

Dear Tom,

The Chicago area has received a lot of rain lately. What is the city’s all-time record for consecutive days of precipitation?

— Tom Gregg, Niles

Dear Tom,

The city’s record for longest stretch with measurable rainfall (.01 inches or more) is 11 days, which has happened on two occasions. The first was in 1880, from Aug. 24-Sept. 3, and the second in 1949, from May 15-25.

Unlike our current deluges, the rainfall was not exceptional during those rainy spells. Total rainfall in 1880 totaled 3.62 inches, while the 1949 episode accumulated just 2.25 inches.

When expanding the record to add days with traces of precipitation to the mix, the city’s longest stretch of wet weather increases to 19 days, one that began Dec. 28, 1945, and a second that started Dec. 15, 1961.