Chicago Sets Record For Snowless Days

Chicago has gone 281 days and counting with no snow accumulation

Love it or hate it, Chicago set a new record in the realm of snowlessness.

After Monday's negligible snowfall, the city broke the record for longest stretch of snowless days set in 1994. Chicago has gone 281 days and counting with no snow accumulation and unseasonably warm temperatures.

The last time the Chicago area saw a "measurable amount" of snow was March 4, when three-tenths of an inch accumulated.

That's as unusual in the Windy City as snow this week was in Texas. Two winters ago, the largest snowstorm in Chicago history drenched the city and left hundreds of cars stranded on Lake Shore Drive.

Since then, the white stuff has mostly stayed away. Flurries flew Monday, but only a "trace" was officially recorded at O’Hare International Airport. The next record to break is the latest measurable snowfall, set for Dec. 16. 

NBC Chicago meteorologist Andy Avalos says the "latest" record looks doable.

Tuesday saw some early morning flurries, but again, they weren't enough to hold off the record.

Showers cleared for blue skies, sunshine and cold temperatures in the 30s. Avalos predicts the slow return of milder air starting Wednesday with temps as high as 50 degrees to follow Thursday and Friday.

Rain and the possibility of light snow returns to the radar Saturday,  but Avalos says, for now, it looks like Chicago again will see no accumulation.

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