Sun Returns, Learn About Clouds, Fire Prevention Week

1. The Weather: After substantial rain and the threat of tornadoes Monday, today will gradually clear and become sunny, with a high of about 69 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low of about 51.

2. From history.com's this Day in History: "On this day in 1871, flames spark in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that kills between 200 and 300 people, destroys 17,450 buildings, leaves 100,000 homeless and causes an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; $3 billion in 2007 dollars) in damages. Legend has it that a cow kicked over a lantern in the O'Leary barn and started the fire, but other theories hold that humans or even a comet may have been responsible for the event that left four square miles of the Windy City, including its business district, in ruins. Dry weather and an abundance of wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks made Chicago vulnerable to fire. The city averaged two fires per day in 1870; there were 20 fires throughout Chicago the week before the Great Fire of 1871."

3. This week is Fire Prevention Week—a good time to practice residential fire drills with your family, check smoke detectors or buy new ones with the long-term batteries and learn about ways to prevent fires.

4. Learn all about clouds today at Holt Park and Center for the Arts.

5. The federal government shutdown has not affected Amber Alerts—the federal website was cur down for a time, but all alerts are issued locally.