DOWNTOWN — There's been a historic amount of snow in Chicago the last few months: none.
There was no measurable amount of snow on the ground in January and so far in February, said Amy Seeley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, and we're not expected to get any before the end of this month. That's the first time that's happened in Chicago in recorded history.
Chicago's about to do something its never done in 146 years of record keeping: go the entire months of Jan & Feb with no snow on the ground.
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) February 26, 2017
Snow depth is measured at 6 a.m. daily at O'Hare. Anything less than a half-inch is considered a "trace" or "unmeasurable," Seeley said, which means even when the city had a bit of snow (like it did this weekend) it doesn't necessarily count.
The reason Chicago hasn't gotten its typical amount of snow is because storms keep missing the city, Seeley said.
“The storms are going around us,” Seeley said. “Other areas in Illinois … have had snow this month. If you look at even parts of southern Wisconsin, they’ve had snow.”
It's also been warmer than it typically is this year, Seeley said. The average temperature in January was 28.8 degrees, 5 degrees higher than normal. February temperatures have also been about 6 degrees higher than the normal temperature of 27.7 degrees so far, though that could change during the final days of the month.
Snow is expected to hit the city soon. It's possible there will be some during the day on Wednesday, Seeley said, and there's a chance of snow that night.
