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After Weird Winter, Spring Will Be Super Rainy And Start Off Cold

By Kelly Bauer | February 20, 2017 5:16am | Updated on February 20, 2017 8:36am
 The spring could get off to a slow start, a meteorologist said.
The spring could get off to a slow start, a meteorologist said.
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DOWNTOWN — This spring could be a lot rainier than what Chicago's used to.

The city typically sees 9½ inches of rain March through May, but there could be 25-30 percent more rain than usual, AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines said.

That'd mean Chicago could get about 12 inches of rain throughout the season.

There's also a possibility of spring snow, Kines said, particularly during the first half of March.

RELATED: We Were Supposed To Get 50 Inches Of Snow — So What Happened, Winter?

The spring could get off to a "slow start" as March is expected to be slightly colder than normal thanks to "chilly spells," Kines said, though March shouldn't be "excessively" colder. The month usually starts off with temperatures near 40 and ends in the lower 50s.

April and May will be closer to normal, which means you can expect temperatures to hit the 60s around mid-April and the 70s in May, Kines said. Watch out for days when wind is coming off the lake, though, Kines said, as those will be "noticeably colder."

The typical — if rainy — spring comes after a strange winter: The city was expected to get pummeled with 50 inches of snow and cold temperatures, but it was surprisingly dry with spells of warm weather (including a February weekend when it hit the 60s).