Dear Tom,
The Oct. 12 snow was touted as the city’s earliest measurable snowfall. I remember one in Frankfort the first weekend of October 2000. Wasn’t Chicago affected?
Gerald Skwirut
Dear Gerald,
A significant lake-effect snowfall on Oct. 7-8, 2000, deposited as much as 6″ at Peotone and a general 1-2″ blanket across Chicago’s south suburbs including areas like Kankakee, Park Forest, Frankfort, Momence as well as areas in extreme northwest Indiana. The weight of the snow on the still fully leafed trees caused the branches to sag and break, hitting power lines and causing widespread blackouts in the south suburbs. Chicago’s South Side did get measurable snow, and Midway Airport reported 0.2″, but since the city’s official observation site at O’Hare received only a trace of snow, this event did not count as a official early season measurable snowfall for Chicago.
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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.)
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