BELLIS BLOG: Winter update for the Chicago area

FOX 32 NEWS - After one of the warmest Novembers on record, the meteorological winter came in like a lion.

17.7 inches of snow fell in December, making it the 16th snowiest December on record. The average snowfall in December is 8.2 inches.

There were 15 consecutive days with at least 1 inch or more of snow on the ground (December 11th – December 25th).

6.4 inches of snow fell on December 4th which set the record for daily snowfall.

In terms of temperatures, the average high was 31 and the average low was 19. Three overnight lows dropped below 0 with the coldest night on the 19th where the temperature dropped to -13.

January has been a completely different animal in terms of precipitation. 2.66 inches of rain has fallen with 2 record broken in terms of rainfall.

The first record was broken on January 16th when .90 inches of rain fell. That was a daily rainfall record. The second record was broken over a 24 hour period when 1.38 inches of rain fell.

Despite the heavy rain, temperatures have been very similar to December. The average high in January so far is 32 degrees with the average low of 19.

High temperatures this weekend will climb into the mid-50s Saturday and near 50 on Sunday.

For those of you wanting more winter like conditions, February looks to start very cold with periods of snow showers.