The city of Chicago is expecting to see some snow on Wednesday, but will it be enough to bring the city closer to a typical January in that department?
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, flurries are expected to occur Wednesday morning and snow is expected to become more widespread during the afternoon and evening hours.
While Monday and Tuesday have been marked by frigid cold, temperatures are expected to climb steadily on Wednesday, with highs in the low-to-mid 20s, according to forecast models.
The snow is expected to taper off early Thursday morning, but not before leading to some accumulations around the area.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, anywhere from one-half inch to two inches of snow could fall across the area, with the light and fluffy snow potentially causing limited visibility issues during the afternoon commute Wednesday.
While Wednesday's snowfall isn't expected to be substantial, it may also be the last snow the city sees during the month of January, as the week ahead looks relatively dry, according to extended forecast models.
So where does this month compare to previous January's in Chicago?
According to the National Weather Service, the city of Chicago receives an average of 11.3 inches of snow during the month of January, making it the snowiest month of the year.
This year however, the city of Chicago is tracking well below that threshold, having reported 3.9 inches of snow at O'Hare International Airport.
It is also a far cry from the 16.1 inches of snow the city saw in Jan. 2024, according to NWS historical data.
If the city stays around its current snowfall levels, it will be the lowest amount of snowfall recorded in the month of January since only 0.6 inches fell during Jan. 2017.
For those curious, the snowiest January on record in Chicago occurred in 1918, when the city saw 42.2 inches of accumulation.
More recently, the winter of 2014 stands out, when the city received 33.7 inches of snow, according to NWS data.
For those disappointed in the lack of snowfall, the month of February is still relatively snowy in the city, with Chicago averaging 10.7 inches of snow during that month since 1871.