Dear Tom,
My husband and I have a bet regarding snow totals: Which winter was snowier, this one or last?
—Lori Nell
Dear Lori,
By an inch and a half, this winter’s 54.2 inches topped last winter’s 52.7 inch total. It appears that the 2009-10 snow season is over, though an additional 0.1 inch or so can’t totally be ruled out as measurable snow has fallen in Chicago as late as May 11 (in 1966 when 0.2 inches fell). Adding the 60.3 inches that fell in 2007-08 to the mix, Chicago’s last three winters mark only the second time since 1885 that the city has recorded three consecutive 50 inch-plus snow seasons. The other snowy trio was the incredibly snowy Chicago winters when 54.1 inches fell in 1976-77, 82.3 inches in 1977-78 and 89.7 inches in 1978-79, the city’s all-time snowiest winter.
