Two years ago today the Chicago area was hit by the earliest measurable snow in its
history. Officially 0.3 inches of snow fell at O'Hare Airport, but many suburban areas
received more than an inch of snow on a day that saw a high of 39 and a low of 30.
Click here for Tom Skilling's full report and weather photos from Oct. 12, 2006
In contrast, today the city is basking in summerlike warmth with temperatures topping
the 80-degree mark.
--By Steve Kahn, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
7.5 HOUR SNOW EVENT ENDS
The snow has ended across the Chicago area after bringing most of the city a 2-4" snowfall in just a little under 8 hours. The snow began around 8 a.m. this morning and had ended by about 3:30 p.m. Many locations in the southern portions of the metropolitan area experienced a rain/snow mix or a period of rain at the tail end of the storm. Heavier amounts of snow in the 3-5" range fell northwest of the city towards Rockford.
Some area snowfall totals
Mundelein 4.3"
Arlington Heights 2.9"
Midway Airport 2.4"
Downers Grove 2.4"
Oak Brook 2.4"
O'Hare 2.2" (official city total)
SNOW TO END THIS AFTERNOON AFTER 2-LOCALLY 6 INCH TOTALS
The snow arrived right on schedule this morning, beginning across the area around 8 a.m. Just before 1 p.m. a little over two inches had accumulated at Arlington Heights while Frank Wachowski, the Midway observer reported 1.9". The storm is moving out of the area at a fairly rapid pace and it appears that the snow will be ending during the afternoon. The storm's fast departure will limit total snow accumulations putting final amounts in the 2-5" range. The snow has been a bit heavier to the north and west where 3- 4 inches have already accumulated in the Rockford area and a few locations far northwest of the city may wind up with 6 inches.
DECEMBER'S SECOND MAJOR SNOWSTORM PACKS A WALLOP
The weekend snowstorm is almost history. Skies have cleared from the Chicago area west while the last vestiges of lake-effect snow are exiting Porter County in northwest Indiana. The early stages of the storm arrived in waves beginning pre-dawn Saturday. The storm really got it's snow-act together Saturday evening as the low pressure system began to intensify as it moved up the Ohio Valley from western Kentucky to central Ohio.
At Midway, weather observer Frank Wachowski reported that snow fell at the rate of one inch per hour for eight consecutive hours beginning Saturday evening between 7-8 p.m. until 3 a.m. Sunday. The snow then began to taper off and ended there around 7 a.m. Frank's snowfall totaled 10.1 inches. This storm, the area's second major snow system this month, produced more snow than 3-8" totals the December 4-5 storm did.
At Arlington Heights snowfall was about 5 inches. The new snow lies atop an ice-crusted 4 inch
residual snowpack making the total snow depth here around 9 inches.
While the Chicago area is digging out, this storm is now spreading its arsenal of heavy snow and ice to the northeast where areas from the lower Great Lakes to New England are expecting more than a foot of snow. South of the heavy snow, the precipitation will transition to ice and then to rain.
Steve Kahn WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
Well, the Alberta Clipper really did a number in the Arlington Heights area. Snowfall as of 6 a.m. this morning totaled 7 inches. The snow began Tuesday afternoon around 3 p.m. but was quite light until about 6 p.m. By mid evening 2.5" had fallen, but it was still snowing steadily and the snow continued overnight, obviously picking up in intensity. Only a few flurries are falling at 7:40 a.m. but radar indicates that some lake effect could move in later this morning.
A GUIDE TO FORECASTING AND UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WINTER PRECIPITATION
Today's winter storm brought a variety of winter precipitation to the Chicago area with snow, sleet and freezing rain all occurring. Tonight as surface temperatures rise above 32ยบ, rain will fall. This graphic that originally appeared on the Chicago Tribune weather page on January 3, 2005 helps explain what kind of vertical temperature profile in the lower 2 miles of the atmosphere is needed to produce the various types of winter precipitation.
WINTER STORM UPDATE
ICY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ESPECIALLY IN AREAS NORTH AND WEST OF THE CITY
Cloudiness has been thickening and lowering across the Chicago area this morning as the winter storm approaches. Temperatures have also been on the increase, rising into the middle and upper 20s by mid-morning. However dew points remain low, ranging from the single digits to the teens across the metropolitan area.
Radar returns are increasing as a strong southwesterly flow brings a slug of moisture into the area, but due to the initial dryness of the atmosphere it will take several more hours for it to moisten to saturation and allow the precipitation forming in the clouds to reach the ground.
Morning upper-air reports show warm air moving in aloft, so the precipitation here is likely to fall as sleet and freezing rain instead of snow. At the 5,000-foot level, temperatures are already near or above freezing with the warming continuing, Preciptation has begun in Iowa and Missouri with most locations reporting sleet and/or freezing rain.
We expect precpitation to move into the Chicago area from the southwest during the afternoon. There may be a brief flurry of snow at the onset, but that should quickly transition into sleet and freezing rain.
The most critical time for icing conditions should be from about 3 to 9 p.m. Temperatures should continue to rise slowly, though readings may drop back a few degrees when preciptation begins due to cooling from evaporation. Areas in the city and close to the lake should experience the least amount of icing as warmer air moves in from Lake Michigan with the most serious icing expected west and north of the city.
Readings should climb above freezing early tonight, allowing the the ice and glaze to melt. By Sunday temperatures could be approaching the 50-degree mark. Temperatures will crash in the storm's wake Sunday afternoon with a period of snow flurries expected.
Updates will be posted as necessary this afternoon and evening.
--By Steve Kahn, WGN-TV Weather Center Meteorologist
So far August, 2007 has brought an unprecedented 13.25" of rain to my Arlington Heights rain gauge. Yesterday's storms were as prolonged and intense as any that I can remember. The neighborhood is littered with large branches and limbs after winds of 70+ m.p.h. roared through yesterday afternoon. Standing water is everywhere and retention basins are brim-full after the unrelenting downpours.
As Tom Skilling mentioned last night on his TV weathercast and also on this morning's Tribune weather page, the severity of yesterday's storms in terms of the vast expanse of the metropolitan area that was affected is one of the greatest in memory.
The scope of the damage brought back memories of a derecho that swept the Chicago area in similar fashion 42 years ago across the midnight hours of August 26-27, 1965, but that storm was a "hit-and-run" job and not part of a week-long siege of deluges like the region is currently experiencing.
That memorable storm will be revisited as the subject of the main feature on Monday August 27th's Tribune weather page and on this blog .
Partially submerged bench on Monday August 20 when monthly rainfall stood at 10"+
Photo by Steve Kahn
Same bench on Friday August 24 with monthly rainfall now at 13.25".
Photo by Steve Kahn
Snowy egret surveys the flooded Lake Arlington shoreline
Photo by Steve Kahn
FLOATING AWAY AS AUGUST RAINFALL EXCEEDS 10 INCHES
As I gaze upon my lush yard that currently resembles the Amazon rain forest I think back to parched, dry appearance it had just a few weeks ago. August continues to amaze me with its recent penchant for producing heavy rainfall here.
August 2007 rainfall in Arlington Heights IL
4th .05"
5th 1.70"
6th .50"
7th 2.13"
8th .59"
9th .09"
12th .37"
14th .42"
15th .09"
18th .11"
19th 2.94"
20th 1.10"
Monthly total to date for August 2007 10.09" with undoubtedly more to come!
Waterlogged yard after more than 10 inches of rain
Photo by Steve Kahn
HIGH WATER AT LAKE ARLINGTON
Partially submerged bench illustrates the high water level at Lake Arlington after recent heavy rains.
Photo by Steve Kahn
Springtime in Chicago
Wednesday's 4 inch snowfall transformed our greening yard and budding bushes back into a winter wonderland.
Photo by Deanna Kahn
Photo by Deanna Kahn
