With mostly sunny and clear skies in Monday's forecast, Chicago is expected to set a record in what could be the latest first snowfall since recording began over a century ago. The big question is: when will it finally happen?
The city still has not recorded its first measurable snowfall this season and with no snow in the forecast this week, it's not looking likely that it will do so anytime soon.
According to the National Weather Service, the latest first measured snowfall of the season was recorded on Dec. 20, 2012. With no snow expected Monday, that record, which is now tied, will likely be broken, making this season the latest measurable snowfall the city has seen since the NWS began recording such events in 1909.
The agency defines measurable snow as being at least one-tenth of an inch. While the area has seen some snowflakes so far this season, no event has reached that threshold so far.
According to the NWS, the average first snowfall of the season occurs on Nov. 18, making the city more than a month overdue for some measurable snow.
Unfortunately for snow lovers, it doesn’t appear that the city will receive any of the white stuff any time soon. According to extended forecast models, Chicago isn’t expected to receive any snow for at least the next 10 days, meaning that the first snow of the season may not actually occur until 2022.
The next weather record that could be in reach for Chicago would arrive on Jan. 25. That marks the latest date that the city has recorded its first snowfall of at least one inch, with that record having been set in Jan. 2013.
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Just in case you're curious, the last measurable snowfall in Chicago occurred on March 15, meaning that we've gone more than nine months without a single snowfall of at least one-tenth of an inch.
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