Though the winter storm seems to be dumping less snow than expected, it is still creating a mess across the Chicago area. The storm left 6 to 10 inches of snow instead of as much as 14, though a winter storm warning remains in effect until this evening. Here are updated National Weather Service totals for the Thursday to Friday snow storm.
Measured snow depths
Click on a location to see measurements. Collection times vary. Data from National Weather Service are for the 72 hours before 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
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How this storm compares
Snow in February is not unusual
February is Chicago’s second snowiest month so our flurry of storms this week is not unusual. The average amount, 9.1 inches, is topped only by January’s 10.8 inches. So it is perhaps more of a surprise that January only saw a total of 4.6 inches at O’Hare.
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Average snow by month
Jan.
Feb.
Dec.
Mar.
April
Nov.
Oct.
10.8 inches
9.1
8.2
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5.6
1.2
1.2
0.2
February snow totals vary widely
In the first eight days of February, O’Hare has recorded 6 inches of snow total. With Friday’s storm adding at least 6 more, it follows that February 2018 will be among the 20 snowiest Februaries since 1885. Most years, nearly two-thirds of the time, there is less than 10 inches of snow in February.
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Total Chicago snow for
every February, 1885 to present
Feb. 2011:
29 inches
Feb. 1896:
27.8 inches
30 inches
30 inches
20
Average:
9.1
inches
10
1885
1925
1975
2018
Feb. 2018
through Friday morning:
12 inches and counting
Most years see less than 10 inches of snow in February
However, Friday’s storm gives Chicago a few weeks to pile up a 20-inch month, something that has only happened 10 times since 1885.
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Number of times February snow totals topped
10 and 20 inches since 1885
84
years
38
years
10
years
More
than 20
inches
total
10 to 19
inches
total
Less
than 10
inches
total
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Most big 1-day storms take place in January
But big single-day storms also happen late in the winter season. Including Friday’s storm, February has seen a little more than a quarter of the largest 100 Chicago snowstorms.
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Month when Chicago’s largest
1-day snowstorms take place
1958 to present
26 of the largest storms happened in February
44 happened in February, March and April
The remaining 54 took place in November, December and January
Spring is around the corner
Make it through February and temperatures and average snow totals rise. Big storms happen in March and April but far less than January and February. The seasonal average for Spring, March through May, is only 7.6 inches, while the winter total is 28.4 inches.
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Average high and average low
temperatures by month
Average temperature
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
JAN.
Average
high: 31
Average
Low: 16.5
FEB.
20.1
35.3
MARCH
29.2
46.6
APRIL
38.8
59
MAY
48.3
70
Source: National Weather Service
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