By Wednesday, 4 to 8 inches of snow were reported across Chicagoland, the heaviest north and west of Chicago, with lesser amounts south of the city where precipitation began as rain before changing over to all snow.
The official O’Hare airport total should exceed 8 inches, smashing the one-day January 5 snow record of 3.1 in. back in 1991. Across central Illinois, a thick coating of freezing rain caused widespread power outages.
Lingering flurries with the system should end before noon Thursday, with a slow warm-up beginning over the weekend. By early next week, temperatures climb into the 40’s and stay above freezing overnight, averaging 15 to 20 degrees above normal and making significant inroads into melting snow. This scenario is totally out of character for Chicago, since heavy January snows are usually followed by a stiff dose of Arctic cold.
