Kevin Jeanes has the latest forecast update looking ahead into the weekend for the Chicago area.
A warming climate has altered the snow landscape we're accustomed to seeing around Chicago in January and February, likely making this winter the least-snowy in 88 years.
This climate data refers to "meteorological winter," which spans from Dec. 1 through the end of February. There is a difference between the amount of snow in a season (beginning Oct. 1), and the amount of snow specifically for winter, so let's compare records for both.
First off, we did have 2.9 inches of snow fall on Nov. 21. That total is not included in the "winter total" for Chicago. That brings us to 14.8 inches of snow for the season, and 11.9 inches of snow specifically for meteorological winter.
Our Chicago snow total this winter at O'Hare is 11.9 inches.
Here's a breakdown of our winter's totals first, which again, are the months of December, January and February.
DECEMBER: 2.4 inches of snow. The 29th least-snowy month of December and the lowest for the month since we had 1.2 inches in 2023.
JANUARY: 4.6 inches of snow. The 35th least-snowy and the lowest for the month since 2018.
FEBRUARY: 4.9” of snow. The 41st least-snowy and the lowest for the month since 2024 (1.2 inches).
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We still have a few days to go in February, but it's unlikely we see any more accumulating snow with highs expected in the 40s.
Chicago's 11.9 inches of snow for winter 2024-’25 should tie as the 10th lowest amount of snow.
Now let's compare our 14.8 inches on the year so far (since Oct. 1). Keep in mind we still see an average of 5.5 inches in March and 1.3 inches in April, so we're far from done with additional snow.
The 2024-’25 season is currently tied for the 5th lowest amount of snow, and the lowest since 1948-49.
This data is only coming from one site, and some areas have had far more or far less snow this season and in seasons past. We’ll have a more detailed look as the National Weather Service releases the official winter report in early March.
