More than a foot of snow blasted the northern portion of the Chicago area Friday and
Saturday. Officially the city reported 12 inches at O'Hare, making this the
largest snowfall here since 12 inches fell on Jan. 30-31, 2002. Snowfall totals tapered to
the south, with Midway tallying 7.9 inches. While the cleanup from this storm has just
begun, forecasters are already tracking several more snow systems. Some snow showers may
develop Sunday afternoon, but two fast-moving "clipper-type" systems promise more
accumulating snow Monday night and Wednesday.
THURSDAY COULD BRING THE CITY ITS COLDEST DAY IN NEARLY 13 YEARS
The real weather story will be the intense cold that invades the area later this week.
Temperatures will plunge in the wake of Wednesday's storm, falling well below zero by
Thursday morning. With arctic air gripping the area, Thursday's highs are expected to remain
below zero -- something that has not happened here since February 1996. Gusty northwest
winds will accompany the bitterly cold weather, sending windchills to dangerous levels of
30 degrees below zero -- or lower.
--By Steve Kahn, 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.
