Chicago is already weeks overdue for its first measurable snowfall, defined as a tenth of an inch, and is closing in on the record for longest dry spell, so to speak.
Though trace amounts of flurries have fallen, it’s been 268 days (as of Wednesday) since the last measurable snowfall on March 15, according to the National Weather Service.
That’s just 22 days shy of the record of 290, which was posted in 2012. With 50-degree temperatures forecast in the coming days, the current streak appears likely to continue.
Typically, the official gauge at Chicago O’Hare notches its first snow by Nov. 18, though there’s rarely anything typical about Chicago weather.
“Recall the 2020-2021 winter also started slow,” agency staff posted to social media.
Then February came along and dumped 34 inches on the city in the span of just three weeks.
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