Snow has arrived in Chicago! And the first measurable snow of the 2024-2025 season was impressive. According to the National Weather Service’s Chicago office, 2.9 inches of snow fell at O’Hare International Airport.

Temperatures rose above freezing areawide Thursday afternoon and will hold steady or even rise further overnight into Friday morning.

The Chicago area is experiencing its first snowfall of the season, and officials are beginning to issue reports on just how much snow has fallen.

Chicago experiences higher temperatures longer than outlying suburbs due to the urban heat-island effect. Its location next to Lake Michigan’s warm waters explains why the city and nearby suburbs freeze later in the year than their farther-out counterparts.

This week brings the first significant snowfall of the season to the Chicago area. Snow is expected to fall at least through the early afternoon before changing over to cold November rain.

It is, officially, winter: Chicago experienced the first snow of the season yesterday (right on schedule, we might add). Although the slush has mostly dried up by now, we are holding on to images of the city enveloped in white just a few hours ago, as magnificent as ever.

Some Chicago residents are waking up to the first snow of the season and there's more to come. During the early Thursday morning commute, expect a few passing flurries/snow showers but no major road impacts.

Animals at Brookfield Zoo Chicago made the most of the season’s first snowfall, which coated much of the area in 2 – 4 inches of snow on Thursday.