Dear Tom,
So we finally had “measurable snow” and set a new record for longest interval without snow, but it didn’t amount to much. What is the longest interval between snows of at least 3 inches? And where do we stand this year for that?
— Brad Johnson
Dear Brad,
Chicago's first measurable snow of the season was a puny 0.2 inches on Dec. 20., but sufficient to set a new city record for the longest stretch without measurable snow — 290 days.
Snow storms bringing heavier snow totals occur less frequently and the intervals between them are greater. As of Dec. 28, it's been 308 days since Chicago booked a storm of at least 3.0 inches (3.5 inches on Feb 24, 2012), but that's no threat to the record between storms of at least 3.0 inches. That record stands at 1,043 days — 2.9 years — from April 5, 1920 through Feb. 11, 1923.
