Illinois Sees First Snowfall Of Season, But 70s Are Coming: NWS

ILLINOIS — The greater Chicago area saw its first official snowfall of the season on Monday and while it may be early in the year to see the first traces of the white stuff, the National Weather Service says it’s definitely not the soonest the area has experienced its first taste of winter.

The National Weather Service said in a social media post that snow had been reported at O’Hare International Airport at 9:21 a.m. on Monday. Most of the area saw just scattered flurries but some regions experienced snow showers after cold air moved into the region over the weekend.

In Rockford, weather spotters reported snow at 1 p.m. and said that the first official snow arrived two weeks earlier than normal. Halloween is typically around the first time Illinois gets its first snow, according to the weather service.

More snow could be headed this way later in the day, according to the weather service. Monday afternoon and evening, the Chicago area could see a "burst of wind-driven snow," but no accumulation.

However, forecasters predicted that some areas of Northwest Indiana could see up to 3 inches of snow on Monday as temperatures hovered in the low 40s and a period of heavy, wet snow could hit.

The mostly likely timing for snow is between 3 and 9 p.m., NWS said. Drivers are urged to prepare for extra travel time and check road conditions before leaving.

The National Weather Service reported that the earliest Chicago has seen its first measurable snow was on Oct. 12, 2006, when the region reported 0.3 inches. The most recent first sight of snow was reported on Oct. 4, 2004, while the record for the earliest first snowfall took place on Sept. 25, 1946, the weather service reported.

After the region was expected to remain in the low 40s on Monday, forecasters are calling for temperatures to drop to 34 degrees overnight. Temperatures are expected to steadily improve and will rebound into the mid-50s by Thursday and will approach 70 on Saturday before hitting 72 degrees on Sunday.

Conditions are expected to remain in the mid-to-upper 50s for the remainder of the month after this week’s flirtation with winter.