Chicago area smashes heat record previously set in 2008 for Oct. 12, with highs of 87

The Chicago area smashed temperature records Monday, breaking the previous high record set in 2008, as autumn apparently decided to just take a break.

So far Monday, the high temperature recorded at O'Hare International Airport was 87 degrees, a full three degrees higher than the previous record high at O'Hare for Oct. 12, which was 85 degrees.

CBS News Chicago First Alert meteorologists said it's possible we could even see that record temperature climb a little more by the end of the day.

Many Chicagoans took advantage of the Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day federal holiday, if they were off work, to head back to the lake and the city's beaches.

Danyelle Cochran played boat captain today, but it's back to work tomorrow. She's a Chicago police detective; she and her coworkers will be back on duty Tuesday.

"I think this is it, so we have to enjoy," she said of the weather.

It's a genius idea to board a boat when you expect record heat in October, but the weather can throw an 8-year-old for a loop.

"It's really warm in October," said Violeta Gonzalez. "I'm confused, but I like it."

She wasn't expecting a beach day.

"We have to go outside," her mom Victoria Castillo said she decided. "Like, we need to go outside. Do something."

That something turned into tossing a frisbee at 31st Street Beach.

An October day in the 80s feels like a gift before what comes next. While the warmth will linger through Tuesday, by the end of this week overnight lows could dip all the way into the upper 30s.

So it was time to take advantage of summer's last hurrah before the cold has us all hunkering down.