Winter 2025-26 in Chicago is off to a historic and record-pushing start according to newly released data from the National Weather Service.
Here’s a look at the numbers and what they mean for the rest of the season!
Chicago sees 17+ inches of snow before winter solstice
The Windy City has already seen 17.1 inches of snow so far this season, weeks before the official start of winter on Sunday, December 21.
Chicago has not seen such levels of accumulation so early in the season since 1978, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), when 24.1 inches fell before December 8th.
The 15.4 inches of snowfall over last 9 days marks the snowiest 9-day period since February 2021, when 15.2 inches accumulated, according to the NWS.
Additionally, the current total snow accumulation nearly surpasses the 17.6 inches of snow we got over the entire course of the 2024-25 winter season.
In short, this winter in Chicago is off to an incredibly snowy start—and it’s only going to get worse from here.
More snow this week
If you were hoping we’d simply get our whole season of snow out of the way early, prepare to have your hopes dashed—there’s more snow on the way this week.
The first chance will arrive Monday night with a 30% chance of snow between 11 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday will see a chance for rain throughout the day along with a slight warm up for a high of 36 degrees.
Come Wednesday, the rain will change over to snow after 9 a.m. and last throughout the day, according to the NWS. Wednesdays high will top out at 38 degrees.
Temperatures will take a sharp dive Thursday for a high of only 25 degrees, while a 30% chance of snow will linger throughout the day.
The chance for snow will linger into the weekend, while temperatures will descend even further. Saturday’s high will reach only 13 degrees, with highs hovering in the low 20s for the remainder of the weekend.
So make sure your heat is turned up and your cabinet stocked with hot cocoa Chicago—we’ve got another wintry week ahead!