Snow Expected To Fall, And Stick, Overnight
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Are you dreaming of a white Christmas is a few weeks, or does the complete lack of snow on the ground suit you just fine?
Your answer will determine your reaction to this news – accumulating snow is in the forecast for Thursday night.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Megan Glaros says a fast-moving Alberta clipper is swooping down from the northwest, and will arrive in the overnight hours.
The most likely time for the snowfall is after 9 p.m. and before daybreak Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Only minor accumulation is expected in the immediate Chicago area, but south of Interstate 80, snowfall totals are expected to be higher, piling up to about half an inch.
South toward Kankakee, snowfall could reach 1 inch. Accumulations of up to 2 inches are possible in central Illinois and parts of Indiana.
But in Chicago, the question is whether enough snow will pile up to qualify as measurable snowfall. Glaros says right now, it's not clear.
Already, there are only five years since records have been kept in which the first snowfall was later than this point. The latest first snowfall ever was on Dec. 16, 1965, followed by Dec. 14, 2001, Dec. 12, 1946, and Dec. 10, 2003.
There have been flurries on a few occasions since mid-November, but total snowfall must amount to 0.1 inches at the official measurement site of O'Hare International Airport to qualify as measurable.
