What A Difference A Year Makes

Image Credit: Bill Guerriero

2011 was one of the snowiest years on record in Chicago history. Winter in Chicago so far can be best remembered by how well we've been able to work on our winter tans.

As we noted in the morning weather post, today will mark the seventh time this winter that the forecast high will pass 50 degrees. Skilling Central is also predicting tomorrow's high to be 51 degrees before we're due for the first significant snowfall of the season tomorrow night. Should the area not record a half-inch of snowfall before Jan. 16, we could be looking at a record for lowest snowfall to date, according to the National Weather Service.

Through today, Chicago has recorded 1.9 inches of snow this season, making this the fourth-least recorded amount on record. You have to go back ten years to find a comparable amount of snowfall.

Even with all the balmy days, the NWS says this run of serendipitous weather isn't record-setting. December 2011 was only the 15th warmest on record. (But number one in our hearts.)

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By Chuck Sudo in News on January 10, 2012 9:10 AM 0 Comments

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Batman1234

And to think everyone was scared shitless about global warming.

BlueFairlane

You'd be scared shitless if you lived west of the Rockies, which have seen almost no snow. I was walking without a coat along a bare dirt road at 10,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park a week ago, in a spot that normally would be covered beneath several feet of snow. The lack of winter snow will mean summer drought. Summer drought will mean a lack of drinking water for half the nation's population and a constant rash of wildfire.