Until snow began to fall Tuesday afternoon, O’Hare and Midway airports had only recorded 0.9 inches of snow for the 2020-21 snow season. By 6 p.m. Tuesday, Midway had already recorded 1.8 inches and O’Hare had 1.3 inches of fresh snow. Precipitation should be in the form of rain at daybreak Wednesday with temperatures in the mid to upper 30s. Temperatures will drop to the low 30s by early afternoon after a cold front turns winds to the west. A brief period of a rain/snow mix may occur late morning before precipitation ends.

The next system will arrive Thursday night and continue into New Year’s Day, producing another mixed bag of precipitation with snow, freezing rain and rain. Snowfall amounts from the holiday storm are not expected to be as substantial as the Tuesday storm.