Signs of the End Times in Chicago

The city of Chicago is home to the new President, a colorfully corrupt state governor, and this year's freakish midwest weather.

In less than a week, the days of snow and ice and 6-below temperatures melted into a 62-degree Saturday in Chicago.

But alike with the springlike temperature there was fog, flooding, high winds, and tornado watches posted for the evening — a Biblical forecast that was capped off with the possibility of more snow.

It has been more than just a day or even a week of extreme weather in Chicago. It has been a year like no other.

By early morning the city had broken a record: Wettest Year Ever — or at least the wettest since records were first compiled in 1871.

At 6 a.m., the National Weather Service in Chicago said 2008 had registered 49.84 inches of precipitation, breaking the record 49.35 inches set in 1983. By noon, the 2008 figure had reached 50.34 inches of water and was still rising.

That includes the 22.3 inches of snow this winter season, which is the seventh snowiest since 1884.