Chicago area sees first trace of snow for the season

CHICAGO - The Chicago area saw its first trace of snow for the season Monday, about a month later than the earliest on record.

"It snowed for about 10 minutes," said Ricky Castro, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. "It’s on the early side but not unusual."

For now, the snowfall will go down as a "trace." The weather service will not know until later in the day whether it also qualifies as "measurable."

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The earliest trace of snow was record in the Chicago area on Sept. 25, 1942. The earliest measurable snow was .3 of an inch on Oct. 12, 2006, according to the weather service.

Castro said the first snowfall has been generally later in the season in the last few decades.

"In the 2000s, it’s uncommon to get snow this early," he said. "It’s certainly not unusual either."

The brief burst of snow did generate a winter weather advisory for the Chicago area and northwest Indiana, where slushy accumulations were predicted.

As much as 3 inches was forecast for Porter and Jasper counties in Indiana.