New Report Makes Chicago Winter Predictions

"Chicago could fail to reach 30 inches this year"

Chicago might not stave off another polar vortex, but if a new winter prediction report is on target, this season won't be as bad as last year.

According to Accuweather, winter temperatures in the Midwest should be 7 to 9 degrees warmer than last year. Though that's still terribly cold, anything is an improvement over the dangerously cold temperatures that dipped to -16 degrees in January.

Some Midwest cities, including Chicago, also are expected to see below-average snowfall this year.

"Chicago could fail to reach 30 inches this year," Accuweather said in its report, "and Minneapolis has an even greater chance of falling below normal."

As of March 25, 80.6 inches of snow was recorded for the season at O'Hare International Airport. The snowiest season on record was the season of 1978-79, with a whopping 89.7 inches.

Just because predicted temperatures are up a bit and snow is expected to be down, Chicagoans shouldn't expect a mild winter.

"The winter season has several cold months planned for the Midwest, though not quite as extreme as last year," Accuweather notes.

Following the Blizzard of 2011, the weather company predicted Chicago would endure the worst winter in the country.

"People in Chicago are going to want to move after this winter," long-range meteorologist Josh Nagelberg said at the time.

Some would argue that brutal winter would come two seasons later, with the polar vortex.

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