Bursts of lake-effect snow extend to 30+ hours and a third consecutive rush hour, one of the city’s most impressive February snows. Calendar day snows in excess of 6" have occurred in February only 24 times dating back to 1885. This storm’s final snow tallies are likely to finish in the 6 to 14" range over much of the metro area. Only areas closest to the Wisconsin line are to log substantially less—3-6”.
The storm’s first flakes fell at Midway Airport beginning at 1:42 a.m. Tuesday morning and built quickly to whiteout proportions in the howling NE winds which went on to generate drifts 3 to 5 ft. high. Gusts reached 39 m.p.h. Tuesday at Midway. But, velocities approaching 50 m.p.h. at the city’s offshore Harrison/Dever Crib (3 miles out in the lake) offered a more accurate glimpse of the raging, blizzard-strength gusts which raked Chicago’s lake front. For hours at a time Tuesday afternoon, visibilities dropped to 1/4 mile or less.
-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.
