Thursday’s snow was disappointing for snow lovers, with 1.5" reported officially at O’Hare, 2.5" in the northern tier of Illinois counties, and only a trace from Midway southward. Chicago was spared the 8" which fell in southeastern Minnesota/southwestern Wisconsin as the system injected very dry air at low levels from the northeast, causing snow to evaporate and sublimate as it fell. In the wake of the modest storm, winds turn north and frigid high pressure with origins near the North Pole settles south for the next several days.
The stubborn upper pattern remains blocked for at least the next week, and probably two, so it will take at least that long to dislodge the steady onslaught of chilly Canadian air. The next chance for precipitation, probably snow, occurs Tuesday when Chicago is grazed by the northern fringes of a low pressure system tracking up the Ohio Valley.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
