Science & Nature
Weekend Storm Set a Chicago Record for November Snowfall
Record snowfall blanketed Chicago over the Thanksgiving weekend. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Plenty of jaded weather watchers were skeptical a predicted Thanksgiving weekend storm would deliver on the promise of significant snowfall, but meteorologists were on the money with their forecast.
According to the Chicago office of the National Weather Service, the 8.4 inches of snow reported at O’Hare Airport on Nov. 29 set a single calendar day record for the month of November. The previous highest total was 8 inches, measured back on Nov. 6, 1951.
Additional accumulation brought the total to 8.7 inches, making it the biggest storm total in Chicago since January 2021.
The long duration of the snowfall allowed the white stuff to pile up — as much as foot in places near the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
It’s rare for such significant snowfall amounts to occur in the region in November, the weather service said.
Here’s a look at totals across the area.
(National Weather Service Chicago)
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
