“We’ re looking at a pretty large change in the prevailing weather pattern across the U.S. that will likely bring warmer temperatures as well as multiple rounds of showers and thunderst…
It’s the Chicago White Sox’s turn to host their first home game of the season — and it looks like fans at Guaranteed Rate Field will be able to leave the cold-weather gear at home Tuesday when the team hosts the Seattle Mariners. “We’re looking at a pretty large change in the prevailing weather pattern across the U.S. that will likely bring warmer temperatures as well as multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the Chicago area,” said Rafal Ogorek, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Chicago office. He said a warm front is expected to stall over the Chicago area Tuesday, bringing partly sunny conditions with a high in the 60s. There’s also a 50% chance of showers — with thunderstorms possible — during the game. So bring a poncho! The normal high on April 12 is 58 degrees with a low of 39. A trace of rain is usually observed too. Spoiler: It probably makes a bigger difference for fans. Since 1989 — when box scores for Major League Baseball games began to include weather conditions at the ballpark at the time of first pitch — the White Sox are 18-15 in their home openers. A rain delay on opening day at Guaranteed Rate Field meant White Sox fans had to wait a little more than two hours before observing their home-opener traditions: booing Illinois politicians — Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot in this case — and cheering for longtime head groundskeeper Roger “Sodfather” Bossard. The temperature at first pitch (5:22 p.m.) was 58 degrees with 2 mph winds from the south and southeast, per Tribune columnist and baseball writer Paul Sullivan. Ricky Castro, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Chicago office, said that was pretty mild for that time of year.
