Dear Tom,
Has Chicago ever added to its seasonal snowfall tally after recording the year's first 80-degree day?
—Mr. Slowski, Addison
Dear Mr. Slowski,
We certainly have. Longtime Chicago residents know that an unseasonably warm 80-degree day in spring does not signal the end of winter snowfall. According to Chicago climate records since 1871, there have been nine years that recorded March 80s and six of those years produced additional snowfall. In 1910 the city received nearly 7 inches of snow following an 81-degree high on March 27, and in 1974 almost 5 inches of snow fell after the city's earliest 80-degree high on March 3. Only two years, 1895 and 1981, remained snow free, and in 1945 just a trace of snow was logged.
