The weather forecast for Chicago says we are going to get some “lake effect” snow Friday. This has been an exceptionally mild season for a place with a reputation for formidable winters, with little snow. So as a weather junkie, I’m actually rather looking forward to seeing how this pans out.
It certainly doesn’t sound like this is going to challenge the Storm of the Century (so far) that happened a little bit earlier in the season last year. The best guess from Tom Skilling, Chicago’s reigning weather guru is three to seven inches close to the lake (which we are). It sounds like if you go a couple of dozen miles inland, your reaction is more likely to be, “What snow?”
These lake-effect storm are peculiar, because they tend to be very narrow bands, and snow totals can be very localized. One spot can get a lot of snow, while a short distance away, practically nothing. In some locations, lake-effect storms are known to dump a couple of feet of snow along their narrow paths, though it sounds like this one will be pretty short in duration.
I will post tomorrow with the results. In the meantime, here are some nice Chicago sky photos taken yesterday and today, with an update on the Cooler on the Lake Shore Chicago vs. D.C. Weather Smackdown at the bottom.
Here’s ice-free Belmont Harbor, yesterday…
Those hard-working steel factories in Gary, Indiana, which my friend Frank Hodal, a native of Da Region, says contribute a little something extra to our gorgeous sunsets, are in the background here…
Speaking of those gorgeous sunsets…
And tonight, the setting sun had some competition from clouds…
In the Smackdown…. according to Weather Underground…
On Monday, Chicago O’Hare reported a high of 32, a low of 29, and no precipitation. Washington Reagan National reported a high of 52, a low of 29, and no precipitation. Point for D.C., obviously.
On Tuesday, Chicago O’Hare reported a high of 36, a low of 29, and a trace of precipitation. Washington Reagan National reported a high of 56, a low of 40, and no precipitation. Same thing.
On Wednesday, Chicago O’Hare reported a high of 36, a low of 25, and no precipitation. Washington Reagan National reported a high of 43, a low of 37, and .11 of an inch of precipitation. We don’t like cold rain, so we’ll give that point to Chicago. The overall score is now D.C. 100, Chicago 89.