The cooler than normal July temperatures which have slashed air conditioner bills across much of the Midwest and East Coast appear all but certain to establish a new temperature benchmark by the time the month ends at midnight Friday. With the reading of 86 degrees set back on the 6th likely to stand as the month's warmest since July 1, the month is likely to become the first July in 139 years of official records here which fails to produce a temperature of 87 degrees or warmer. Monday's 84-degree high -- far from an exceptionally warm reading -- was the city's warmest in 12 days.

Several clusters of thunderstorms are likely to sweep the Chicago area Tuesday. Half inch diameter hail accompanied storms in Ogle County Monday evening just northwest of Polo.

Severe storms produce tornado touchdown south of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Thunderstorms have erupted five of the past seven days somewhere in the mid and upper Midwest. Monday's storms produced a tornado touchdown 37 miles south/southeast of La Crosse, Wis., around 5:18 p.m. Law enforcement officials indicated the twister generated numerous reports of damage there. Storm downpours across southwest Wisconsin -- from the towering 50,000-foot-tall thunderheads responsible for that twister -- were impressive and included 1.62" at Friendship, 1.58" at Muscoda, 1.50" at Mineral Point and 1.46" at Fennimore.