Dear Tom,
Does a snowy December give any clues about snowfall in the remainder of the winter?
Nick Recchia, River Grove
Dear Nick,
It’s a timely question, considering that Chicago’s 2007-08 snow season has gotten off to a gangbuster start.
An average winter (Midway data, 1928-2006) delivers 39 inches of snow, about eight inches of which falls by this point in the snow season. This season, however, most of the area has already received twice that amount.
So what lies ahead? The answer is a mixed bag.
A computer search for comparably snowy “fast-start winters” indicates the remainder of the snow season has a 50-50 chance of continuing on a snowy track. Ten fast-start snow seasons were followed by above-average snowfall five times (three of which were 50″-plus) and sub-average snowfall five times. ———-
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.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
