It wasn’t much, but a trace recorded at O’Hare International Airport Monday morning was enough to make it the first official snowfall of the season in Chicago.
Now, we’re just waiting on the first measurable snowfall. You know, the stuff that sticks.
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Weather conditions recorded at O’Hare airport are the benchmark for the city. If there is less than a tenth of an inch observed at O’Hare then that counts as a “trace” amount — even if it doesn’t stick. Whether a trace amount of snow is a “first snow” is up for debate. If a tenth of an inch or more accumulates, then that counts as “measurable.”
[ Fall weather in Chicago: When to expect the first freeze and snowfall. ]
Snow finally arrived in Chicago on Dec. 28, 2021, making it the second-longest stretch of days between two measurable snowfalls — almost 288 days.
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It was also the latest date of a first snowfall in Chicago history going back to 1885, and just the 26th time in the past 136 years that the city had to wait until the final month of the year to experience snow on the ground.
[ Chicago’s 10 largest snowfalls since 1886 — and how the Tribune covered them ]
At O’Hare International Airport, the city’s official recording site, 0.01 of an inch was recorded at 12:10 p.m. A total of 1.5 inches fell. March 15, 2021, was the last time more than a trace of snow was reported at the site.
The area’s first measurable snowfall of the 2020 season recorded 0.7 inches of snow at O’Hare International Airport on Nov. 24, 2020, one week later than the city’s average first-snow date.
In 2016, 6.4 inches of snow fell on Dec. 4 — the largest first snowfall since 1905.
Looking back at more than 135 years of local weather data, Chicago has experienced its first measurable snow as early as October 12 (in 2006) and as late as December 20 (in 2012). That’s why Nov. 17 is the date of the average first significant snowfall in Chicago. Remember, measurable snowfall is one-tenth of an inch or more on the ground, while anything less is considered a trace amount. The chart below shows the date of the first measurable snowfall for each year since 1885. Amounts are available, by year, beginning in 1905.
