35 degrees and damp, but at least the freezing rain they were warning about hadn't arrived yet, perhaps later this morning.

the 1st half of january is now in the books, and in 11 years of 4-season bike commuting, this has definitely been one of the mildest early januarys we've had here in chicago.

but it looks like the 2nd half of the month will drop a bit down into more normal long-term seasonal averages.