As if summer coming to a close weren’t enough to stir up our seasonal depression, now we hear the Farmers' Almanac is predicting a nasty winter in our neck of the woods. The almanac, which boasts an 80 to 85 percent accuracy rate for weather forecasting, claims that two-thirds of the country will experience lower-than-average temperatures, and the upper Midwest will experience more than its normal share of snowfall. Almanac editor Peter Geiger believes......

Our feelings about this recent winter progressed like this: we were initially excited about the cold and snow, were merely tolerating it a few months later, and now we are completely sick of winter and want it to GO AWAY. It’s been a pretty snowy time of it these last few months, and with yesterday’s seasonally invasive snowfall, it has officially become Chicago’s seventh snowiest winter season since we started keeping track of these things......

Wintry mix ≠ out like a lamb. [NWS]......

Wishes don't come true. It's still snowing like a mofo. If you can leave work now, do. The roads are a mess (even though plows and salt trucks are out), and sidewalks are the slushy stuff nightmares and broken teeth are made of. At least it should let up by late tonight, but for reals, bleh. [NWS] And something to make you chuckle: hee.......

Not yet, suckas. Photo by Kudzuplanet Happy spring! Today marked the spring equinox, which means bust out the picnic baskets and flower pots--it's time to celebrate. Except wait a little while because our area is under a winter storm watch tonight through late tomorrow. Expect heavy, wet snow starting after midnight, with around an inch accumulating over night and 3-5 inches accumulating during the day on Friday. At least it won't be too cold;......

Afraid you weren't going to get a few more chances to bust out your winter gear? Rest easy. We're looking at snowy thunderstorms tonight and chances of snow Thursday and Friday. [NWS, image by Pantagrapher]......

Sand, kitty litter, salt and...beet juice? Yes, there's another product in the de-icing repertoire these days, and it comes from sugar beets. A sugar beet–juice byproduct known as Geomelt gets mixed with a city's salt supply both to decrease the amount of rock salt needed to de-ice roadways and to make the salt effective at lower temperatures. Generally, rock salt alone will melt ice up to about 20°F, but the combo of rock salt......

Photo by Fjsjr Weekend forecast = snowy. Thanks a lot, lake effect. We're looking at around 2 inches accumulating overnight, with more falling tomorrow during the day. Focus on this, though: Tuesday, we'll have a high of 47. Yesss. [NWS]......

Photo by johnsadowskiii You know winter has fully set its icy claws into your heart when you hear "35 degrees" and think "hey, I'll take it!" So run outside now to soak up some rays while they last. It's supposed to get cloudy this afternoon and snow a little tonight, with temperatures dropping the rest of the week and into the weekend. Speaking of the weather, mark your calendars for April 5 when WGN......

Photo by Broken Bat Yesterday's high temperatures felt miraculous. But they're not going to last. There's a 40 percent chance of snow tonight and a 60 percent chance tomorrow. [National Weather Service]......

Triptych by fjsjr Psst. Down there. Hey! It's me! Nature! I live in the sky and throw water down on you whenever I feel like it. Guess what? I super feel like it this year. Guess what again? It's going to snow tonight for the 35th time this season. I know--it usually only snows 30 times all season. But I like to think of myself as a wild bird who can't be caged. Sadly......

Photo by Kudzuplanet Usually when we hear "8 inches," we think "yay." But not now. Today, it's in reference to how much snow we're supposed to get this afternoon. Our fair city is in for another 6 to 8 inches of icy precipitation, and if that amount does fall, it would make this season the snowiest in a long time. Maybe we should just start rooting for that to happen so at least all......

Photo by johnsadowskiii......

Photo by Andy Marfia We can't stop complaining about how cold it is--and luckily, it's not just us being pussies. It really is freakishly cold. Tomorrow's going to be the record-breakingly chilly: "The predicted high of 9 degrees at O'Hare would be the coldest this late in a cold season since a 3 degree high on Feb. 21, 1963." Our entire area is under a wind chill advisory starting this evening because polar gusts......

What's With the Two Inches?...

Photo by CStein96 This weekend's forecast? Three guesses. More snow! We're going to have single-digit lows tonight, but it should be pretty clear tomorrow during the day, with a 50 percent chance of a "wintry mix" tomorrow night. Sunday, though, looks pretty miserable with a 100 percent chance of wintry mix and precipitation throughout the day. At least it'll be in the 30s? [National Weather Service]......

Photo by Quantum Jedi Johanna Vera, 23, was charged with attempted murder for allegedly giving her children, 3 and 10 months, juice with rat poison and boric acid in it. Vera also apparently drank it herself. All three survived the November 29th incident, which Vera says stemmed from a domestic dispute that left her wanting to "die and take her children with her." [S-T] Mexican President Felipe Calderon was in town today on his......

Yes, it's going to keep snowing most of the night. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather warning, a lake effect snow advisory, and a short-term forecast that says "more snow." We're looking at single-digit temps tonight, but it should warm up a little by the end of the week.......

The City's nipples have permanently shifted into cut-glass state, but there's more cold on the way, and the National Weather Center says there's a 100 percent chance of precipitation tonight. There's a chance of snow later this week, too, and if you've been wondering what the difference is between sleet and hail, wonder no more. Seems like a lot of snow, yes? But according to our beloved Ask Tom, it's not quite record-breaking — as......

Our pal Matt over at Spud Art spotted someone's victimless urban prank, and wondered.... Heee. Looks like we've got landmarks to snowball, friends.......

So the big snow wasn't all that big after all. At least not in Chicago. Parts of Wisconsin got 20 inches. Ayee! But the lousy weather was indeed shocking--five people were sent to the hospital last night after they received mild electrical shocks, possibly from a bum wire in a utility pole. It's the third electric shock incident in the last few days. To the surprise of no one, about 1,000 flights were canceled out......

Should I Shovel?...

Good news, snowbunnies. The National Weather Service is predicting up to 7 inches of snow today, starting around 2pm and continuing through Friday morning. We're already having a very snowy season--so far, 22 days with measurable snow, and we've racked up 30.2 inches at Midway (average for the last 30 years is 25.5), which makes this the fourth snowiest winter in 25 years. Luckily, temperatures won't be too brutal, staying somewhere in the 20s.......

"Winter Sport" by Art Shay Art Shay is without a doubt one of the greatest photographers this city ever produced. For sixty years he's captured some of the most iconic images of city life. His 1988 book Nelson Algren's Chicago (Visions of Chicago) inspired scores of photographers, both professional and amateur, to pick up their cameras and pound the pavement looking for the perfect shot. The above shot isn't our favorite - that would......

DN-0085338, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum The weather forecast calls for a lot of "brass bra cold" this weekend. It won't stop people from going out and enjoying their weekend, although some serious consideration should be given to hibernating on the couch with movies, a bottle of wine, and a comforter. Take, for example, these two men who thought it was a great idea to dress in Native American dress and......

For some people, the ultimate gift is something techy, like a Wii, an iPhone, or a GPS device. For us, it's a growler of beer, which we received over the holidays. The beer inside, "312." was nothing special. the growler, however, was refillable. It's the gift that keeps on giving, like a communicable disease. A couple weekends back we made the trip to Goose Island's Clybourn brew pub to trade in our empty for......

Why yes, today's temperatures are below zero (with the windchill). It's a two-pairs-of-socks kind of day. Lightly powdered CTA by Kookybites......

It's supposed to snow more today, so keep your camera handy. Ankylosaur gets us started with the snow pics..........

Get ready for more fluffy white stuff. Our area's under a snow advisory until tomorrow, with precipitation expected this afternoon. Brace yourself for between three and six inches of snow today and tonight, plus more tomorrow. And it's time to bust out your for-real winter coat — the temperature will drop to 13 degrees tomorrow night. (Tonight should be a cozy 24. Get your cocoa/hot toddy/fancypants tea stuff ready.) Where's this weather system coming......

Indoor Swimming Options?...