Chicago sees the least snow in 88 years as meteorological winter ends

Saturday marked the first day of the meteorological spring, meaning that winter has come to a close — even if it doesn’t feel like it.

The winter snow total, ranging from the start of December to the end of February, was 11.9 inches, the lowest since the winter of 1936-37 and the 10th least snowy winter since the late 1880s, according to the National Weather Service. It’s the only 21st-century winter season in Chicago to break into the top 10 least snowy years.

Southern Illinois and parts of Missouri saw above average snowfalls as the storm systems spared Chicago by hitting further south, according to Kevin Birke, the NWS meteorologist who put together the agency’s winter review.

“Most of the very active winter storms this season actually tracked south of us,” Birke told the Sun-Times Saturday.

The count didn’t include the nearly 3 inches of snow some parts of the city saw in late November.

The city’s lowest total was recorded in the winter of 1930-31, with just 5.7 inches. The city’s snowiest winter was 1978-79, at 80.6 inches, per the agency’s data.

Overall snowfall was nearly 18 inches below the average of 29.6. Precipitation was also lower than usual, about 4.43 inches, 1.64 inches below the average.

Despite the lack of snow, the temperatures were typical for winter. The average temperature for the winter was 27.3 degrees, nearly a degree lower than the city’s overall average. Near-record temperatures in the last week of February weren’t enough to offset the multiple instances of polar air and arctic temperatures the city faced in the last few months.

The city also saw lower highs and even lower lows. The average high for the winter was 34.1 degrees, about half a degree below average, and the average low was 1.1 degrees below normal at 20.5 degrees.

“We certainly had our fair share of cold weather compared to last year,” Birke said. “But it’s just another year in the books for most part.”

2024 was declared the city’s warmest year on record — the average temperature sitting around 55 degrees — breaking the previous record of an average of 54.5 degrees in 2012, the Sun-Times previously reported. Prior to that, the previous year average record was 54.4 degrees set in 1921.

Looking ahead, Birke said to be wary of the potential for severe weather as spring makes its way into Chicago. While Birke said there was nothing in the forecast that spelled imminent danger, a system coming in Tuesday night could bring showers and thunderstorms.

“There are some decent indications we’ll be headed into above-average territory for temperatures and precipitation [for the month],” Birke said.