Yeah, we'll have a couple dozen nights below 40º this year. Should be out of the proverbial fruit woods by mid Jan. Not joking about all of this either, we are due for a few years in a row with limited cool season action and it isn't worth getting worked up over a CFS forecast or some long range that is going to yield 43º and cold rain, which wont hurt my plants.
My family is looking at doing a custom built house in 3-4 years, and I want to get an orangery built, so that should be just in time for our statistical once-a-decade regional event. If the forum is still focused on the weather around then, we can all look back at this post and reminisce about the time that I went from being a cold and snow lover to a full grown adult.
September actually finished tied for 2nd warmest on record for Chicago. The departure was +4.3, which is a smaller departure than what you'd think for 2nd place.