Chicago Snowfall Trends

By Paul Homewood             

 

 

Yesterday we looked at snowfall trends in New York. Climate Stations also have the same chart for Chicago:

 

 

https://www.climatestations.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/chisnow.gif

 

 

As with New York, we find that there is nothing unusual about snowfall totals in recent years.

In Chicago’s case, it appears that the 1960s and 70s were worst affected.

 

The Climate Stations website also tells us:

 

1) 1871 – Prelude to Great Fire of 8-10 October, just 3.70” precipitation between 4 July and 8 October, 35% of average and driest such calendar period in all history down to present.

2) 1875 – Coldest year in all Chicago history down to present, also coolest Summer (June-August) and Fall (September-November).

3) Which was followed two years later by:

1877-78 – “Year Without a Winter” – Warmest winter (December-February) in all Chicago history down to present by 1.5 F, and warmest December-March by nearly 3 F

4) 1879-80 – Great gyrating warm and cold spells from late-September through year-end 1879. January 1880 the warmest in Chicago history down to the present day (by more than 3 F)

5) 1896 – Snowiest February in Chicago history (27.8”)

6) 1918 – 42.5” snow in January, most ever for single calendar month in Chicago history

7) 1921 – Warmest year in Chicago history

8) 1930– 90 F on 10-11 April, earliest 90 F daily maxima ever recorded in Chicago; 75 F on 19 November, warmest ever so late in season

9) 1934 – 102 F on 31 May; 105 F on 24 July (highest ever recorded at Chicago ‘official’ station)

10) 1950 – 67 F on 25 January, highest ever in calendar month January. Also 84 F on Halloween and 81 F on 1 November, but –1 F and –2 F on 23-24 November, respectively, earliest subzero readings in Chicago history.

11) 1951 – Snowiest December (33.3”) in Chicago history down to present.

12) 1955 – Warmest summer (June-August) in all Chicago history down to present; also warmest calendar month (July: 81.3 F). April also warmest in Chicago climatic history

13) 1962 – Driest year (22.22”) in Chicago history down to present.

14) 1967 – Great 23-inch snowstorm over 26-27 January; 27-inch snow depth in early February

15) 1976-77 – Great thermal anomaly “flip-flop” between successive four-month periods: October-January coldest such period on record, February-May the warmest on record. January coldest calendar month in Chicago history (10.1 F)

 https://www.climatestations.com/chicago/

 

And all this extreme weather happened in the good old days, before we had global warming!