Inch of white stuff breaks snow-free streak
NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORT January 25, 2013 7:30PM
Shawn Hanley-Caracosa (right), 7, throws a loose snowball at classmate Eric Lopez, 7, as they wait to enter Greenwood School in Waukegan. | Thomas Delany Jr.~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: February 27, 2013 6:13AM
Maybe that’s why traffic was so bad Friday morning during rush hour.
It was 335 days since we last drove in the snow, according to the National Weather Service.
The 1.1 inches of snow at O’Hare International Airport at 9:30 a.m., the region’s official weather reporting station, also broke the records for latest first one-inch snowfall and the longest streak without an inch of snow.
The previous record for snow-free days was 280 set in 1994, which we surpassed way back in the beginning of December (Dec. 10). The previous record for the latest one-inch snowfall in Chicago was Jan. 17, 1899.
Illinois State Police said there were numerous cars involved in about 10 crashes Friday morning in the Chicago region.
Illinois and Lake County departments of transportation, along with municipal and township road crews, hit the streets early as snow fell overnight.
According to the weather service, today, Jan. 26, will be sunny, but cold, with a high near 25, and a windchill value as low as zero.
Sunday calls for a slight chance of snow before noon, then a chance of freezing rain or sleet turning to rain around midnight.
Monday temperatures rise to 44 with a 40 percent chance of rain. Tuesday also has showers and a predicted high of 52. Wednesday calls for more showers and a high near 35. Thursday the sun comes back, but high of only 22.
With the 1.1 inches that fell Friday morning, the season’s total snowfall for the region stands at 2.8 inches.
The Weather Channel named the storm Khan, which brought chills to the South and white stuff to the Midwest and East.
