February already Chicago’s 3rd snowiest and more’s coming
No February in Chicago has hosted two 10"+ snowstorms. That’s why a new storm responsible for winter weather advisories across 18 states including northern Illinois, is being monitored so closely. It’s possible this system could deposit that much or more snow over at least sections of the metro area, though much can change. The new storm is likely to begin unleashing precipitation on the area by Saturday afternoon as snow or sleet. Though temperatures are close enough to the rain/snow threshold, an extended snow/sleet/freezing rain mix could cut into any snowfall. The consensus of 28 computer models is that an average of 1.49" of precip may fall (water equivalent), and as much as 75% of it could fall as snow. That would make an 8-10" weekend accumulation entirely possible. The 18.1" already on the books this month at Midway Airport is 75% more than the 10.3" that falls in an entire February and qualifies as the 3rd snowiest since 1929.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist