More snow falls Thursday, with 2 inches dropping on parts of North Shore
CHICAGO - Another burst of snow hit the Chicago area Thursday, dropping 2 inches in places that were walloped with a foot-and-a-half of snow earlier this week.
A band of snow moving northeast was compounded by lake-effect snow hitting northern Cook County, according to the National Weather Service.
Evanston recorded 2 inches of snow Thursday morning, according to weather service figures. Evanston was already one of the hardest-hit cities in the week’s earlier snowstorm, which dropped 18 inches on the north suburb.
Meanwhile, places away from the heavier lake-effect snow saw lower totals. O’Hare Airport recorded 1.3 inches between 6 a.m. and noon Thursday. Midway Airport had just under an inch over the same period.
The bursts of heavy snow were expected to cover roadways and reduce visibility Thursday afternoon. "Use caution if out traveling," the weather service warned on social media.
The forecast at O’Hare — Chicago’s officials weather station — called for 70% chance of snow Thursday totaling between 1 and 2 inches. Snow was expected to taper off in the evening while temperatures drop to 8 degrees, with wind chills around minus 1 degrees.
Chicago will get a break from the snow Friday and Saturday, according to the weather service. A warm-up on Sunday — with an expected high of 32 degrees — would be accompanied by a 70% chance of snow.
Temperatures should continue rising next week, with a high Monday near 35 degrees and Tuesday and Wednesday hitting around 40 degrees.
A whopping 43.5 inches of snow has fallen on O’Hare so far this season, blowing past the total average seasonal snowfall of 36.3 inches, according to the weather service.
In the last three weeks, 34.1 inches of snow fell on O’Hare — the snowiest three-week stretch since the historic snowfall of 1979 of around 39 inches. Temperatures haven’t risen above freezing since Feb. 4.