CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Freezing temperatures and a late-season snowfall are forecast for the Chicago area Tuesday, in what the National Weather Service is calling “winter’s last hurrah.”
Forecasters have pushed back the arrival of spring snow showers in the Chicago area to Tuesday afternoon, with freezing temperatures expected Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
The National Weather Service had said the snow was expected to hit early Tuesday; but now, temperatures are expected to dip to near freezing in the afternoon, with rain showers turning to slushy snow.
“We’ll probably see some snow flying across the area during the day” Tuesday, he said, adding that much of the precipitation may remain a mix of rain and snow.
The heaviest snow was expected south of Chicago, but accumulations could be slushy as surface temperatures hover in the mid-30s, Birk said. Unpaved surfaces could see between a half-inch and an inch of snow, he said.
Although mid-April snow feels unseasonable, this is the usual time of year for Chicago to see its last snowfall. The average last date of a trace of snow in Chicago is April 14, Birk said.
“So [late snow] is not unheard of, but it’s obviously getting late,” Birk said.
We don’t have to look back far for other examples of late-season snow.
On April 27, 2019, Chicago was hit with 2.5 inches of snow at O’Hare International Airport, Birk said. The record for the latest spring snow was set in 1966, when two-tenths of an inch of snow fell on May 11.
The weather service has issued a freeze watch for Tuesday night, warning residents to cover sensitive plants to protect them from temperatures in the upper 20s. There’s also another chance of freezing temperatures Wednesday night, forecasters said.
After a brief taste of wintry weather, spring-like conditions will return with daily highs in the 50s expected by Thursday.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2021. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)