Stories by Patty Wetli

First came the big chill, then the big dig, and now officials are warning Chicagoans to prepare for the big melt. With temperatures on the rise, the snow that’s accumulated over the past three weeks is about to turn into a river. 

NASA’s Perseverance rover greeted its global audience on Twitter, beaming back to Earth the first image captured after touching down Thursday afternoon on Mars. 

Volunteering looks different during the pandemic, but organizations still need support. The Chicago Volunteer Expo is moving forward with its annual event, where people can learn about opportunities at scores of nonprofits, but has shifted to a virtual platform.

Students from across Chicago voted on the name for the Shedd’s 5-month old Pacific white-sided dolphin calf.

If winter 2021 feels epic, that’s because it has been. According to the National Weather Service, it’s been 40 years since Chicago has seen so much snow in such a short span of time.

As Chicago digs out from yet another major snowfall, with accumulation piling on top of previous storm totals, the Department of Streets and Sanitation is activating its plan to relocate snow to pre-determined sites. Plows could shift to residential streets Tuesday evening, officials said. 

Snow dampens other sounds, but it makes plenty of noise itself, especially in colder temperatures. Here’s why. 

O’Hare Airport officially notched 7.5 inches of snow but some Chicago neighborhoods got socked with more than twice that amount in the past 24 hours. 

It’s been 10 years since the infamous Groundhog Day blizzard left hundreds of motorists stranded on Lake Shore Drive. As another major winter storm bears down on Chicago, officials are putting to use lessons learned from that debacle.

While lake effect snow will come and go through Tuesday, the storm system, approaching from the south, is expected to reach Chicago by mid-afternoon Monday, according to the National Weather Service. 

Chicago set a new record for the coldest Feb. 14 in history, with a high temperature of just 4 degrees recorded at O’Hare Airport on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The community science project, held over four days every February, collects data that provides scientists with a long-term record of bird distribution across the globe, helping to identify trends that might be associated with urbanization or climate change.

Dirty snow absorbs more of the sun’s energy and melts faster. Here’s why that’s a problem. 

There’s a misperception that birds such as geese and ducks need help finding food when it snows. If they couldn’t cope with Chicago’s winters, they wouldn’t be here, experts say. 

Sea shanties are suddenly all the rage thanks to TikTok but Chicago’s long been a hub for shanty singing. We explore the city’s connection to the musical tradition — and its undeniable staying power.

With dangerous subzero wind chill temperatures forecast for the upcoming weekend, officials offered timely reminders of ways to stay safe in extreme cold. 

The landscape has been pretty bleak of late. Here to brighten our outlook: The Garfield Park Conservatory has announced its indoor gardens will reopen to the public at the end of February.

The 18,000-acre restoration site continues to evolve, as this home of the former Joliet Arsenal gradually returns to its native prairie state. 

An ancient sand ridge in the Calumet region became a well-worn route used by enslaved people seeking freedom.

Winter has arrived with a vengeance. The next 48 hours will bring a one-two punch of snow and plunging temperatures.

Find out what the hit Netflix series gets right — and wrong — about gossip in the 1800s when Newberry Library scholars host a lighthearted virtual chat this week.

It’s Groundhog Day. Will it be six more weeks of winter or an early spring?

Parts of the Chicago area notched more than a foot of snow over the weekend. It won’t have much chance to melt, with a blast of arctic air heading our way toward the end of the week.

There are quirky details to be found in bark, twigs and buds that can turn a walk in the woods or around the block into a game of “name that tree.”

The snow is likely to hit late Saturday afternoon and intensify rapidly, with accumulations of more than six inches possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Portions of Big Marsh Park were once heaped high with waste from the area’s now defunct steel mills. The soil has since been remediated, and now the Chicago Park District is working to find out if native plants can grow and thrive there.