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February 28, 2006

Spring’s arrival no guarantee snow season’s over

Now that the three-month meteorological spring season is underway, history tells us the area’s “normal” daytime highs are likely to surge an average of 35 degrees over the coming three months and that sunshine here is to expand by well over three hours. But, it’s quite likely the area—despite a lackluster 20.3” season snow tally to date—hasn’t seen the last snow. Weather records indicate snow has fallen measurably beyond March 1 an average of six times totaling 8.1”. The numbers in a particular year can vary widely. A March 25-26 snowstorm in 1930 generated 22.3” of snow—one of the city’s biggest single snows ever. Another March snowstorm a year later between the 7th and 9th buried the area beneath 19.5”.
A few flurries are possible Thursday, but a disturbance Sunday night and Monday is the first with even the potential to produce more. That’s far enough into the future to suggest that system isn’t yet carved in stone.
--Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Meteorologist

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LAKE WINDS TO BLOCK WARMTH FROM PLAINS

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WINTER SNOWFALL IN MARCH

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February 27, 2006

Books close on 7th mild winter in 10 years

Another mild meteorological winter, the warmest here in four years and 7th of the past ten years to finish with an above average temperature, closes as February concludes Tuesday night. The December through February period’s 29.1° temperature ranks 38th mildest of the 135 winters on file since 1871 and 2.4° above the long term average for that period.
Chicagoans get reaquainted with an all too familiar feature of spring weather here for a second day Tuesday—northeast winds. It’s the wind direction of choice here through March, April, May and June, detested by many because of its tendency to short-circuit warming.
Chilly NE winds limited Chicago’s temperatures to the 30s Monday—20°+ colder than downstate readings, including 59° highs at Springfield, Bloomington and Lincoln. Warmth farther west established new records at Denver (73°) and at Grand Island, (77°) and North Platte (75°)—both in Nebraska.
-Tom Skilling.

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