Dear Tom,
What are the earliest and latest dates for Chicago’s first 1″ snowfall of the season?
Scott Gillman, Hinsdale
Dear Scott,
Chicago’s snowfall records date back to 1884-85, and over those 120 winters the average date for the season’s first 1″ snow turns out to be Dec. 3. In 1989, the snow season started early when 3.8″ fell on Oct. 19, the earliest 1″ or greater snowfall on record. In contrast, in 1898-99 the latest 1″ or more snowfall arrived almost three months later on Jan. 17, when exactly 1.0″ fell.
Despite the fact that the 1989-90 snowfall season started so early, the season closed with a subpar total of 33.8″ as compared to the city’s normal total of about 40″. Truer to form, the late-starting 1898-99 season ended up with a meager 18.0″ of snow, making it one of the city’s least snowy winters.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
