The anniversaries of Chicago’s extreme weather events usually receive prominent publicity: Jan. 20, 1985 (-27º, the city’s lowest temperature); July 23, 1934 (109º, the city’s highest, though unofficial, temperature; Jan. 26-27, 1967 (23.0”, the city’s biggest snowstorm).
But today’s date, Sept. 25, has seemingly slipped through the cracks of the public consciousness even though it’s a significant date in Chicago’s weather history: Chicago officially logged its earliest-ever snow on this date in 1928 and also in 1942.
Although both snows were trace events (that is, they resulted in no accumulation), they created quite a public stir at the time. Sept. 25 in 1928 was a raw day, with high/low temperatures of 50°/39º; it was even worse in 1942: 46°/30º and 0.18” of rain in addition to the trace of snow.
This autumn may bring another early-snow event: Showers possibly accompanied by a few wet flakes might occur Friday.
--By Richard Koeneman, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
