CHICAGO — The city was hit with as much as five inches of snow Saturday into Sunday, making this the snowiest start to a winter season since 1978 — which saw Chicago’s highest snowfall total in recorded history.
An “Alberta Clipper” system swept down from central Canada into the Great Lakes region around 9 p.m. Saturday and snowed at rates of up to one inch an hour, said Zachary Yack, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
The storm brought three-to-five inches of snow across Chicago, with the northern parts of the city receiving higher snow totals, Yack said. Some areas in the northernmost reaches of the metro area saw up to seven inches.
With this weekend’s storm, Chicago is now up to 17.1 inches of snow accumulation this season — nearly exceeding the 17.6 inches that fell all of last winter, Yack said.
It’s the most substantial start to the “snowfall season” since 1978-79, when a record 89.7 inches fell on the city, according to the National Weather Service. Just over 24 inches fell by Dec. 7, 1978, records show.
The 15.4 inches of snow that fell in the past nine days makes this the snowiest nine-day period since 2021. In the month of December, 6.7 inches have already been recorded at O’Hare, Yack explained. The entire month of December averages 7.6 inches of snow.
“We’re going to have to wait and see if this trend continues,” he said. “But we could expect higher snowfall totals than usual if it does.”
Chicago is breaking snowfall records for the start of the winter season. Credit: National Weather Service
Last weekend, Chicagoans saw the snowiest November day ever, with 8.4 inches of fresh powder blanketing the city on Nov. 29. Meteorological winter begins Dec. 1, but the weather service tracks “snowfall season” by the first significant snowfall of the season, which can happen as early as October or November.
Chicago could see more snow Sunday night and possibly into Monday. But temperatures will rise beyond Monday, which would allow some of the accumulated snow to melt, according to the National Weather Service’s five-day forecast.
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Temperatures are expected to peak into the low 40s on Tuesday and scattered rain/snow flurries are expected on Wednesday, when the high will near 40 degrees.
More cold air will move into the region next week, with temperatures expected to plummet into the teens, Yack said. Some storm systems could bring snow then, but predictions are fuzzy nearly a week out, he said.
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