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Built 2026-10-19 (19 October 2026)

Days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall in Chicago

Chicago has had days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall in 55 years, most in 1965 with 6. Days per year, season span, streaks and every date.

Key Facts for Chicago

  • Chicago has had days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall in 55 years, 136 days in all.
  • The most in one year was 6 days in 1965.
  • In 2026, the latest year on file, there were 1 such days.
  • The earliest first date in a year was 1 January 1978.
  • The latest last date in a year was 31 December 1978.
  • The longest run inside a single year was 2 days in 1967.
  • 2 years with under 90 percent of days observed are left out of these rankings.

Days per Year

55 years, 136 days
Days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall per year in Chicago Days per year in Chicago with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall. The line is the decade average. The most was 6 in 1965. Grey bars are years with under 90 percent of days observed, left out of rankings. 02461959: 21960: 31961: 31962: 11963: 31964: 31965: 61966: 21967: 61969: 21970: 31971: 11972: 31973: 31975: 21977: 21978: 51979: 21981: 11982: 31984: 21985: 31986: 11987: 31988: 21990: 11991: 31992: 11993: 11994: 41999: 32000: 42001: 12002: 32003: 12004: 22005: 42006: 22007: 12008: 32009: 22010: 22011: 32012: 22013: 32014: 42015: 42016: 22018: 22019: 22021: 42022: 12024: 12025: 22026: 1195919701984199920092021
Days per year in Chicago with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall. The line is the decade average. The most was 6 in 1965. Grey bars are years with under 90 percent of days observed, left out of rankings.
Days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall per year in Chicago
YearDaysDecade average
195922
196033.2
196133.2
196213.2
196333.2
196433.2
196563.2
196623.2
196763.2
196923.2
197032.6
197112.6
197232.6
197332.6
197522.6
197722.6
197852.6
197922.6
198112.1
198232.1
198422.1
198532.1
198612.1
198732.1
198822.1
199012.2
199132.2
199212.2
199312.2
199442.2
199932.2
200042.3
200112.3
200232.3
200312.3
200422.3
200542.3
200622.3
200712.3
200832.3
200922.3
201022.7
201132.7
201222.7
201332.7
201442.7
201542.7
201622.7
201822.7
201922.7
202141.8
202211.8
202411.8
202521.8
202611.8

Season Span

earliest 1 January, latest 31 December
First to last qualifying date each year in Chicago For each year, a bar from the first to the last day in Chicago meeting 10 cm (3.9 in). Long bars mean a long season. 1959: 20 January 1959 to 23 December 19591960: 9 February 1960 to 16 March 19601961: 3 February 1961 to 23 December 19611962: 6 January 1962 to 6 January 19621963: 19 January 1963 to 17 December 19631964: 8 March 1964 to 4 December 19641965: 15 January 1965 to 23 March 19651966: 12 January 1966 to 28 December 19661967: 26 January 1967 to 27 October 19671969: 7 December 1969 to 23 December 19691970: 25 March 1970 to 2 April 19701971: 3 January 1971 to 3 January 19711972: 13 March 1972 to 12 December 19721973: 15 February 1973 to 16 December 19731975: 2 April 1975 to 26 November 19751977: 8 December 1977 to 20 December 19771978: 1 January 1978 to 31 December 19781979: 13 January 1979 to 24 January 19791981: 10 February 1981 to 10 February 19811982: 31 January 1982 to 5 April 19821984: 30 January 1984 to 17 March 19841985: 1 January 1985 to 11 February 19851986: 19 March 1986 to 19 March 19861987: 9 January 1987 to 28 December 19871988: 10 February 1988 to 11 February 19881990: 14 February 1990 to 14 February 19901991: 11 January 1991 to 2 December 19911992: 21 March 1992 to 21 March 19921993: 10 January 1993 to 10 January 19931994: 22 February 1994 to 6 December 19941999: 2 January 1999 to 9 March 19992000: 18 February 2000 to 29 December 20002001: 16 March 2001 to 16 March 20012002: 30 January 2002 to 2 March 20022003: 4 March 2003 to 4 March 20032004: 4 January 2004 to 24 November 20042005: 5 January 2005 to 8 December 20052006: 20 January 2006 to 1 December 20062007: 13 February 2007 to 13 February 20072008: 6 February 2008 to 16 December 20082009: 10 January 2009 to 26 December 20092010: 9 February 2010 to 4 December 20102011: 11 January 2011 to 2 February 20112012: 12 January 2012 to 20 January 20122013: 26 February 2013 to 14 December 20132014: 2 January 2014 to 17 February 20142015: 1 February 2015 to 21 November 20152016: 4 December 2016 to 11 December 20162018: 9 February 2018 to 26 November 20182019: 28 January 2019 to 14 April 20192021: 26 January 2021 to 15 February 20212022: 2 February 2022 to 2 February 20222024: 12 January 2024 to 12 January 20242025: 29 November 2025 to 7 December 20252026: 25 January 2026 to 25 January 202619591966197519851993200420112019JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
For each year, a bar from the first to the last day in Chicago meeting 10 cm (3.9 in). Long bars mean a long season.
First to last qualifying date each year in Chicago
YearFirst dateLast date
19591959-01-201959-12-23
19601960-02-091960-03-16
19611961-02-031961-12-23
19621962-01-061962-01-06
19631963-01-191963-12-17
19641964-03-081964-12-04
19651965-01-151965-03-23
19661966-01-121966-12-28
19671967-01-261967-10-27
19691969-12-071969-12-23
19701970-03-251970-04-02
19711971-01-031971-01-03
19721972-03-131972-12-12
19731973-02-151973-12-16
19751975-04-021975-11-26
19771977-12-081977-12-20
19781978-01-011978-12-31
19791979-01-131979-01-24
19811981-02-101981-02-10
19821982-01-311982-04-05
19841984-01-301984-03-17
19851985-01-011985-02-11
19861986-03-191986-03-19
19871987-01-091987-12-28
19881988-02-101988-02-11
19901990-02-141990-02-14
19911991-01-111991-12-02
19921992-03-211992-03-21
19931993-01-101993-01-10
19941994-02-221994-12-06
19991999-01-021999-03-09
20002000-02-182000-12-29
20012001-03-162001-03-16
20022002-01-302002-03-02
20032003-03-042003-03-04
20042004-01-042004-11-24
20052005-01-052005-12-08
20062006-01-202006-12-01
20072007-02-132007-02-13
20082008-02-062008-12-16
20092009-01-102009-12-26
20102010-02-092010-12-04
20112011-01-112011-02-02
20122012-01-122012-01-20
20132013-02-262013-12-14
20142014-01-022014-02-17
20152015-02-012015-11-21
20162016-12-042016-12-11
20182018-02-092018-11-26
20192019-01-282019-04-14
20212021-01-262021-02-15
20222022-02-022022-02-02
20242024-01-122024-01-12
20252025-11-292025-12-07
20262026-01-252026-01-25

Every Year

Days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall per year in Chicago
YearDaysFirst dateLast dateLongest streak in yearCoverage
2026125 January 202625 January 20261 daysIncomplete, not ranked
2025229 November 20257 December 20251 daysComplete
2024112 January 202412 January 20241 daysComplete
202212 February 20222 February 20221 daysComplete
2021426 January 202115 February 20212 daysComplete
2019228 January 201914 April 20191 daysComplete
201829 February 201826 November 20181 daysComplete
201624 December 201611 December 20161 daysComplete
201541 February 201521 November 20152 daysComplete
201442 January 201417 February 20141 daysComplete
2013326 February 201314 December 20131 daysComplete
2012212 January 201220 January 20121 daysComplete
2011311 January 20112 February 20112 daysComplete
201029 February 20104 December 20101 daysComplete
2009210 January 200926 December 20091 daysComplete
200836 February 200816 December 20081 daysComplete
2007113 February 200713 February 20071 daysComplete
2006220 January 20061 December 20061 daysComplete
200545 January 20058 December 20052 daysComplete
200424 January 200424 November 20041 daysComplete
200314 March 20034 March 20031 daysComplete
2002330 January 20022 March 20022 daysComplete
2001116 March 200116 March 20011 daysComplete
2000418 February 200029 December 20001 daysComplete
199932 January 19999 March 19992 daysComplete
1994422 February 19946 December 19942 daysComplete
1993110 January 199310 January 19931 daysComplete
1992121 March 199221 March 19921 daysComplete
1991311 January 19912 December 19911 daysComplete
1990114 February 199014 February 19901 daysComplete
1988210 February 198811 February 19882 daysComplete
198739 January 198728 December 19871 daysComplete
1986119 March 198619 March 19861 daysComplete
198531 January 198511 February 19851 daysComplete
1984230 January 198417 March 19841 daysComplete
1982331 January 19825 April 19821 daysComplete
1981110 February 198110 February 19811 daysComplete
1979213 January 197924 January 19791 daysComplete
197851 January 197831 December 19781 daysComplete
197728 December 197720 December 19771 daysComplete
197522 April 197526 November 19751 daysComplete
1973315 February 197316 December 19731 daysComplete
1972313 March 197212 December 19721 daysComplete
197113 January 19713 January 19711 daysComplete
1970325 March 19702 April 19702 daysComplete
196927 December 196923 December 19691 daysComplete
1967626 January 196727 October 19672 daysComplete
1966212 January 196628 December 19661 daysComplete
1965615 January 196523 March 19651 daysComplete
196438 March 19644 December 19641 daysComplete
1963319 January 196317 December 19631 daysComplete
196216 January 19626 January 19621 daysComplete
196133 February 196123 December 19611 daysComplete
196039 February 196016 March 19601 daysComplete
1959220 January 195923 December 19591 daysComplete
Decade averages for Days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall in Chicago
DecadeAverage days per yearYears counted
1950s2.01
1960s3.29
1970s2.68
1980s2.17
1990s2.26
2000s2.310
2010s2.79
2020s2.04

Compare with your own threshold in the threshold explorer. Fahrenheit thresholds are converted to tenths of a degree Celsius once, rounding half up.

Download the Data

  • Data for Days with 10 cm (3.9 in) or more of snowfall in Chicago, by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Threshold counts are computed by this site from the threaded city record.

Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-17).