EDIT: New forecast says it could rain in morning and afternoon. Rating revised a bit downward.
Monday, a new day, new week, new month, new weather infographic.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING:
1.85/4. See below for details.
Month: April 2017
April 28: Another day, another wrong forecast?
So many alarmist stories about rain, so little actual rain. What the heck, Chicagoland meteorologists?
Same deal Friday as Wednesday and Thursday. A good chance of rain. After being burned in the past, here’s our take: be skeptical. But bring rain gear anyway.
WEATHER INFOGRAPHIC: 
Such negligible wind in the morning! That’s nice. Here’s the breakdown:
All day: High 59, low 45, cloudy, 50% chance of rain
Morning: low 50s, cloudy, 2 MPH winds from NE
Evening: high 50s, cloudy, wind from the ENE at 8 MPH, 50% chance of rain (dubious)
Recommended Rain Gear of the Week:
Get it? This lady’s not wearing any rain gear. A commentary on our disappointment with recent Chicago weather forecasts.
(Thanks for the picture, Chicago Tonight.)
DIVVY REPORT: Big news.
-Humboldt Drive & Luis Munoz Marin Drive station (inside Humboldt Park) removed entirely. Aw.
-New station opens at California Ave. & Cortez St.
Otherwise, all stations operational except Chappel Ave & 79th St., which remains closed.
STREET CLOSURES:
And the 1300-1400 blocks of E. 71st re-open after a monthlong closure.
PARTIAL STREET CLOSURES (downtown):
Click here for the whole map.
FYI, just out of view: closures at North Ave. and Bosworth.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING: 
2.75 stars. Pretty good, assuming it doesn’t rain.
Enjoy your rides, and stay dry!
April 27: An OK day to ride
Thursday: like Wednesday, maybe. In the sense that meteorologists predict bad weather but it all turns out okay.
Or more than okay. Because Wednesday was beautiful! Meteorologists wrong! We give it a retroactive 3.25 stars.
THURSDAY WEATHER INFOGRAPHIC:
Note a new infographic innovation: rain chance probability. Part of our effort to be more transparent about weather uncertainty.
All day: High 54, low 44, cloudy, windy, and possibly rainy.
The breakdown:
Morning: low 50s, 50% chance of rain, wind from the west at 14 MPH. There’s a near 100% chance of rain really early–5-6 AM–so roads will be wet.
Evening: low 50s, cloudy, wind from WSW at 16 MPH.
Lettuce Cat Wind Meter:
Pretty windy out there. Hold onto your lettuce.
DIVVY REPORT: Sedgewick & Schiller back online. We also just noticed Chappel Ave. and 79th has been closed since April 14th. Oops. But if that’s your station, you probably knew already.
Everything else: in service.
STREET CLOSURES:
PARTIAL STREET CLOSURES (downtown only):
Click here for the whole map.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING:
2.25/4. Windy, cloudy, wet roads, chance of rain. But nothing too bad.
Enjoy your rides!
April 26: Goodbye perfect weather
Wednesday looks likely to end the streak of excellent bike commute weather. Or does it?
WEATHER INFOGRAPHIC:
AM on the left, PM on the right. You know the drill.
Overall, a high of 78(!) and a low of 52, with rain probable. The breakdown:
Morning: mid 60s, winds from the south at 12 MPH, isolated thunderstorms possible.
Evening: low 70s, winds from the south at 14 MPH, thunderstorms likely.
Tom Skilling says T-storms could be severe later in the evening. Dress appropriately.
Ridiculous rain gear of the week:
Hmmmm. Actually that’s kinda cool.
DIVVY REPORT: As of 4PM, the station at Sedgewick and Schiller is out of service. Check the service map before you leave for work tomorrow morning.
STREET CLOSURES:
Not much.
PARTIAL STREET CLOSURES (downtown):
Click here for the whole thing.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING:
1.9/4. Maybe severe storms, maybe no rain at all. Who knows? This is our way of dealing with uncertainty.
Dress with versatility, and enjoy your rides.
Nice weather? Good luck getting a Divvy downtown
Nice weather in Chicago brings a smile to the face of many a local bike commuter.
But does it bring a smile to every bike commuter? What if you’re relying on a Divvy to get home? You might be annoyed that you can’t get a bike. Especially if you work in the Loop.
(By the way, it’s Divvy Week. You can get a free burrito or something.)
Continue reading “Nice weather? Good luck getting a Divvy downtown”
April 25: Ride your bike!
Monday: what a day to ride a bike!
Tuesday: what a day to ride a bike!
WEATHER INFOGRAPHIC:
Morning conditions on the left, evening conditions on the right.
Overall, a high of 72 around 2pm and a low of 53 in the early morning.
Details:
Morning: High 50s, partly cloudy, winds from the SSE at 8 MPH.
Evening: Low 70s/high 60s, less sunny than morning, winds from SE at 12 MPH.
So, a bit windier and cloudier than Monday, but warmer too.
Cat-Lettuce Meter of Expected Windiness:
A little lettuce flap, but altogether mild.
DIVVY STATUS: All stations operational. If you’re in the Loop, good luck grabbing a bike in the evening. (More on that later.)
STREET CLOSURES: 
News on the street closure front.
Reopening:
300-400 block of E. 115th reopens after two months
11400 block of S. Front reopens after two months
4600 block of N. Broadway reopens after 3 days
Partial closures downtown: 
Click here for the rest of the map.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING:
3.5/4. Excellent! Again! Clouds and moderate wind are a very slight bummer, but spring warmth keeps us near peak bike commute conditions.
Go ride your bike!
April 24: A Good Day
Monday: like Friday, but with even nicer weather for a bike commute.
We’re approaching peak bike commute conditions.
WEATHER INFOGRAPHIC:
The second iteration of the AM/PM weather infographic. Notice how only the PM side of the sun has a cloud. This means sunny morning and partly cloudy afternoon/evening.
What a clever and comprehensive infographic, right?
Details:
Overall: High 63, Low 41
In the morning: Mid 40s, negligible wind, sunny skies
In the evening: Low 50s, wind from the E or ENE at 9 MPH, some clouds
Visual Representation of Expected Windiness:
Enough wind to wobble your lettuce, but not enough to blow it off your head.
DIVVY STATUS: All stations operational.
STREET CLOSURES:
PARTIAL STREET CLOSURES:
Click here for the full map.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING:
3.5/4. Marked down ever-so-slightly for the temperature, but it doesn’t get much better than this.
Enjoy your rides!
Map of the day: Potholes, part 2
A post on Tuesday showed potholes patched by the city in the previous 7 days.
But what about potholes that the city hasn’t filled? That question is more involved. Being non-experts, the best we could do is consult city data on potholes reported to 311.
(Note: the link above is a mess. Click the “visualize” tab, fill out the form, zoom in, cross fingers.)
Each day the Chicago’s 311 line gets hundreds of pothole service requests. For example, this past Tuesday: 306. Monday: 401.
Dating back to January 2009, the 311 hotline has received 463,199 reports of potholes. Let’s take a look at em.
April 21: Brisk and pleasant
Friday: the temperature yo-yo continues. Now we’re back to 40s. We don’t mind, because colder weather means less sweatiness.
EVER-IMPROVING COMPREHENSIVE WEATHER INFOGRAPHIC:
Here’s CBR’s latest effort to perfect the weather infographic, because a bike commute entails two trips, AM and PM. So we did two weather reports in one: AM on the left, PM on the right.
Breaking it down:
Overall: High 50, Low 42
Morning: Mid 40s, mostly cloudy, tiny chance of rain, winds from NNW at 11MPH
Evening: High 40s, mostly cloudy, winds from NNE at 12 MPH.
Bike accessory of the day:
“Anything is possible.” -Lance Armstrong
DIVVY REPORT: nothing offline.
STREET CLOSURES:
“Partial street closures” downtown:
Click here to zoom and see details.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING:
3/4, again. Not as gorgeous temperature-wise as Thursday, but wind is more agreeable. No excuse not to ride!
In other news…
A report from the front lines of a beautiful day for cycling Thursday:
First, the Lake Front Trail near its northern terminus, c. 3 PM. Thanks, Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett.
Then, 20 minutes later, a shout from a guy in a white van: “Nice bike!”
A near perfect day. In retrospect, Thursday’s 3 star rating was a bit stingy.
Enjoy your rides, and follow @bikereportchi for updates and news.
April 20th: Spring returns, again
Thursday: a good day to commute. Warm all day and sunny in the afternoon, but a tad blustery. 20mph winds could make you go fast or slow, depending on your perspective.
COMPREHENSIVE WEATHER INFOGRAPHIC:
Comprehensive Weather Infographic, now featuring a face.
MORNING/EVENING BREAKDOWNS:
Morning: High 60s, mostly cloudy, 16mph winds from the southwest. Slight chance of rain.
Evening: Low 60s, mostly sunny, 19mph winds from the west.
But after today’s dud of a thunderstorm, a cautionary note about weather forecasts and the general unknowability of the future: Tom Skilling’s WGN forecast predicts a high of only 60 degrees and a low of 41. Dress with versatility!
Approximate visual representation:
:
Yeah, pretty windy. Properly secure the lettuce to the top of your head.
DIVVY REPORT: all stations operational.
STREET CLOSURES: 
Same old, same old.
OVERALL COMMUTE RATING:
3/4. Marked down due to wind.
In other news…
It was a big day for Chicago Bike Report, as we got our first media mention, courtesy of Streetsblog Chicago. Check it out for a much more thorough treatment of the Lake Front Trail separation plans.
John Greenfield, ever prolific, also writes in the Reader about the demise of the Marshall Boulevard bike lane. It’s a reminder that “community input and outreach are crucial for avoiding resentment from noncyclists.”
Enjoy your rides and this parting pic of the 31st Street Bridge.
Wow! The new 31st St Ped/Bike bridge is amazing #bikesforthewin #chicagoparkdistrict #ChicagoPD #gobeauty
— Jane (@BikingMom) April 17, 2017
Chicago Bike Report 
