Chicago's 7th snowiest December in 124 years is about to get even snowier. The second
major winter storm in a week -- this one wetter and stronger -- hits with thunder Thursday
night and Friday morning. Its track will dictate how the cocktail of precipitation it
produces is distributed across the area. Current indications point toward major snow and
sleet accumulations roughly north of Interstate Highway 80 with serious icing -- capable of
snapping power lines and downing branches -- being a problem late Thursday night in the
south. Computer models and various snowfall forecast techniques suggest the storm's 12 to
14 hours of steady precipitation will reach the city between 8 p.m. and midnight.
Estimates of the storm's water equivalent precipitation range from 0.86 inches to 1.75 inches
-- three to six times the moisture generated by Tuesday's system. That could translate to
6 to 14 inches of snow over parts of the metro area -- especially north -- into
Wisconsin. The presence of t-storms may lead to bursts of heavy precipitation.
RARE SNOW SOCKS LAS VEGAS
Two to 6 inches of snow hit Las Vegas Wednesday. The last time that much snow fell there
was in 1979 when 7.9 inches fell.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
