Winter 2022-23 looks in the next one to two weeks to be catching up on lost time.
Two and possible as many as three snow systems will have to be monitored between now and mid-next week.
The first is due to produce three to five inches of snow starting in Wednesday’s pre-dawn hours and is likely to continue through a good chunk of the day. Lingering flurries are expected Wednesday night into Thursday with some more substantial lake effect snow showers not out of the question.
Several hours of falling snow
Something like five to seven hours of steady snow with flurries continuing beyond that is to fall across the western suburbs and as many as 10 to 14 hours of snow is to fall in lakeside locations, where some lake enhancement is likely. That’s hardly a superstorm by January standards but it’s enough to produce slippery travel.
Winter Weather Advisory Extended
My NWS colleagues have now extended a winter weather advisory across the entire Chicago area through Wednesday and into Wednesday night in parts of the area.
Second Snow System This Weekend
A second winter system is due over the weekend (with snow showers with a cold front Friday).
Snow showers with a cold front are expected Friday and an overrunning snow situation could mean additional accumulation Saturday afternoon and night.
More Snow — and Cold — Next Week?
A third is possible in the Tuesday to Wednesday time frame next week, though it is far off and subject to change.
The arctic spigot opens next week with temps to average as much as 16-deg colder than this week.
The other big story will be the colder. Arctic air is to tighten its grip on the area and the surge of cold air looks healthier than in previous model runs. Next week could average as much as 16-deg colder on average than this week.
Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center
Skilling Runs the Numbers
Tuesday marked the 28th consecutive day, nearly a full month, with above normal temps. And Chicago’s seasonal snow tally is among the six lowest on the books of the past half century with just 6.2″ of the 17.7″ considered “normal” to date. That’s about one third of the normal snow.
One would expect some other shoes to drop with such “out of whack” stats and modeling is suggesting that’s what’s likely to happen.
We’re in a “cold” season with just four instances of 1″+ accumulations to date: One in November and two in both December and January.
With such anemic snowfall to date, the incoming storm system, with a “moderate” 2 to 5″ snowfall predicted is to rank as the heaviest snow of the season to date.