This winter already ranks as the 8th snowiest on record in Chicago and has a good chance of climbing the charts this weekend when another storm is expected to hit.
The latest snowfall from Tuesday evening through Wednesday totaled 7 inches at the city's official recording station at O'Hare International Airport. That brings the total so far this season to 59.6 inches.
The snowiest winter on record is 1978-79 when 89. 7 inches fell, followed closely by 1977-78 with 82.3 inches, according to data collected by the National Weather Service. The next five snowiest are: 1969-70, 77 inches; 1966-67, 68.4 inches; 1951-52. 66.4 inches; 1917-18 64.1 inches; 2007-08, 60.3 inches.
Chicago typically gets around 36 or 37 inches during an entire winter.
We could take the 7th spot, maybe even the 6th, after this weekend when a storm arrives from the Pacific Northwest.
Snow is expected to start falling Saturday afternoon and peak in the evening, according to weather service meteorologist David Beacher. But it's unclear just how much snow the storm will pack.
"There's still a lot of uncertainty," Beacher said. "Usually we get a lot of moisture from storms out of the Pacific Northwest. But we're not sure what will happen when it hits the Rockies."
That could be our last major snow for a while. Beacher said the outlook for next week shows no appreciable snow, though temperatures will remain colder than normal, in the teens and 20s.
The latest snow to hit Chicago Tuesday evening through Wednesday stopped and delayed Metra trains, canceled hundreds of flights at O'Hare and Midway airports and caused spinouts and tortuous commutes Wednesday morning. Temperatures dropped as the snow moved out, with wind chills as low as minus 25 expected in some places overnight.
Wednesday marked 34th day of measurable snow this winter, far beyond the average of 18, according to the Chicago Weather Center. Measurable snow has fallen more frequently in only two of the past 129 years in Chicago.
On the bright side, daylight savings time begins on March 9, a little more than a month away. We already have about an hour's more daylights than we did on Dec. 21.
chicagobreaking@tribune.com | Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking
The latest snowfall from Tuesday evening through Wednesday totaled 7 inches at the city's official recording station at O'Hare International Airport. That brings the total so far this season to 59.6 inches.
The snowiest winter on record is 1978-79 when 89. 7 inches fell, followed closely by 1977-78 with 82.3 inches, according to data collected by the National Weather Service. The next five snowiest are: 1969-70, 77 inches; 1966-67, 68.4 inches; 1951-52. 66.4 inches; 1917-18 64.1 inches; 2007-08, 60.3 inches.
Chicago typically gets around 36 or 37 inches during an entire winter.
We could take the 7th spot, maybe even the 6th, after this weekend when a storm arrives from the Pacific Northwest.
Snow is expected to start falling Saturday afternoon and peak in the evening, according to weather service meteorologist David Beacher. But it's unclear just how much snow the storm will pack.
"There's still a lot of uncertainty," Beacher said. "Usually we get a lot of moisture from storms out of the Pacific Northwest. But we're not sure what will happen when it hits the Rockies."
That could be our last major snow for a while. Beacher said the outlook for next week shows no appreciable snow, though temperatures will remain colder than normal, in the teens and 20s.
The latest snow to hit Chicago Tuesday evening through Wednesday stopped and delayed Metra trains, canceled hundreds of flights at O'Hare and Midway airports and caused spinouts and tortuous commutes Wednesday morning. Temperatures dropped as the snow moved out, with wind chills as low as minus 25 expected in some places overnight.
Wednesday marked 34th day of measurable snow this winter, far beyond the average of 18, according to the Chicago Weather Center. Measurable snow has fallen more frequently in only two of the past 129 years in Chicago.
On the bright side, daylight savings time begins on March 9, a little more than a month away. We already have about an hour's more daylights than we did on Dec. 21.
chicagobreaking@tribune.com | Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking