Just to give a little sneak-a-peak into my research, I have chosen the nine day period during March 2012 in which temperature records across the Chicagoland area were shattered.  There is a sigma value for each high  temperature to show how much this value differed from the average temperature for that time of the year.  In general, most extreme temperature anomalies fall within the 2-3 sigma range, with a few of them falling slightly below the minimum threshold.  Probably the most surprising feature of this past March, was the magnitude, or the length of time, that the record setting heat was in "place" for.  Throughout my research I found many single day records, but far fewer records were set in three consecutive days.  Knowing this, my research became less about the individual records their selves, but more about the extended periods.

I still have yet to get the supporting upper level data, but by isolating these extended periods, I am hoping that I can paint a more precise picture of the synoptic/mesoscale setups in regards to things such as 925 and 850hPa thermal axis, 850hPa ridge axis, and the corresponding temperatures.  Knowing this information could help develop a better idea of the certainty of record temperatures occurring.

Date	Precipitation	High	σ	Low
3/14/2012	0	81	3.171104381	54
3/15/2012	T	81	3.171104381	51
3/16/2012	0	81	3.171104381	48
3/17/2012	0	80	3.08183109	58
3/18/2012	0	81	3.171104381	61
3/19/2012	T	79	2.992557799	64
3/20/2012	0	85	3.528197546	66
3/21/2012	0	86	2.847322737	66
3/22/2012	0.04	84	2.687066087	62