National Weather Service forecasters early Wednesday morning dropped a Winter Storm Warning that had been issued for the Chicago area. In its place, forecasters issued a Winter Weather Advisory from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., but it was canceled before it even started as the system tracked to the east.
There still will likely be snow, just not heavy amounts in Chicago. The heaviest snow bands looked Wednesday morning like they would set up across Northwest Indiana. Areas to the west and north of the city will see little, if any, snow. Other areas, including the city, may see 1 to 4 inches of snow, especially across Northwest Indiana.
The snow that does fall will be wet and will stick to roadways. With gusty winds, reduced visibility is likely.
Temperatures Wednesday will range from a high of 40 degrees to a low of 29 degrees. Christmas Day will be clear but with temperatures ranging from a high of 38 degrees to a low of 30 degrees.
A "White Christmas" is defined as one with at least one inch of snow on the ground by Christmas morning, according to the Weather Channel.
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According to Christmas Day climate data from the National Weather Service, almost half of the last 129 Christmases dating back to 1885 in Chicago were snowless.
The most snow the city has seen for the holiday was 5.1 inches, which fell on Christmas Day in 1950. Last year, 1.2 inches of snow fell on Christmas Day.
American Airlines allowed customers to change travel plans due to the anticipated weather.
Customers ticketed on American Airlines, American Eagle or US Airways or US Airways Express flights on Dec. 24 to, from, or through the cities listed below may change flights without penalty, have the ticket-reissue charge waived for one ticket change, and begin travel as early as Dec. 23 or as late as Dec. 25, the airline said Tuesday.
- St. Louis (STL)
- Springfield, Ill. (SPI)
- Peoria, Ill. (PIA)
- Urbana-Champaign, Ill. (CMI)
- Bloomington-Normal, Ill. (BMI)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Milwaukee (MKE)
- Grand Rapids, Mich. (GRR)
- Detroit (DTW)
