City Agrees Winter Will Suck, Planning For 4 Feet Of Snowfall

By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 27, 2016 2:47PM

Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

Some long-term winter forecasts have predicted a nasty winter with more snow for Chicago. Apparently, the city has been hearing similarly dire warnings, and they’re gearing up for the brutal winter ahead, too.

Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams told the City Council budget committee that the department is planning for between 45 and 47 inches of snowfall—approximately four feet and a significant jump over last year’s mild 30 inches, according to the department.

“We start planning during the summer months, working with weather predictions,” DSS spokesperson Jennifer Martinez told Chicagoist. “(Those forecasts) told us we’re going to see quite a bit more snow, plus a colder January and February.”

Streets and Sanitation expects to see the first snow around mid-November; and the department has 375,000 tons of salt stockpiled, Martinez said.

“We’re prepared. We’ve been planning throughout the summer and crews are ready to deploy as needed,” Martinez added.

Earlier this month, Accuweather forecasts predicted an “extended winter” for the Midwest region with “shots of brutally cold air.” National Weather Service models at the same time forecast a 33 percent chance of above-average precipitation and colder-than-average temps. The Farmer’s Almanac in August characterized the Midwest outlook as “numbing cold and snowy.”

Start planning those dibs markers, brush up on our winter survival guide and really, really savor this warm weekend.