This winter’s ranking as the 9th warmest here in the past 137 years—still mild enough to qualify as the city’s warmest winter in 47 years (since 1959-60)—is under assault. Cold air pouring south from Canada limits Friday’s highs to the 20s for the third time this week and arrives with wind chills ranging from 5 to 14°. With a high of 25° predicted, it becomes Chicago’s fourth consecutive sub-freezing day, the first such string since December 2005—13 moths ago.
Thursday’s flurries left 0.2” at Midway Airport—the site’s 5th measurable snow this winter. As with most other midwest weather observation sites, snowfall this season has been paltry. Chicago has received 45% of the 18” considered normal by this date.
A third major winter storm is bearing down on New Mexico, Oklahoma and north Texas. Albuquerque, N.M., with 22" of snow on the books this season (11.5" is normal) is threatened by 6-10" of new snow by Saturday.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
