Chicago Record-Breaking Snow: Do We Want It? (POLL)

There's much buzz in local meteorological circles Friday about the possibility of the snowiest February in the city's history. "Heavy snowfall misses area, record still possible," reads the headline in the Chicago Sun-Times; "City Inches Closer to Record Snowfall Total," announces My Fox Chicago.

Indeed, the Tribune was prepared for the city to break the February snowfall record Thursday night, as a storm projected to dump five inches headed toward the city. Instead, though, that storm passed Chicago by to the south, giving us only a sprinkling and leaving us about half-an-inch shy of the record set in 1896.

That year, 27.8 inches of snow fell on the Windy City. Whet Moser at Chicago Magazine has a terrific round-up of weather reports from that February 115 years ago, describing a "black snow" that baffled streetcar riders and required explanation from "scientific men." (A wind storm had kicked up clouds of dirt, which mixed in with the falling snow to render it muddy and dark-colored.)

Now, news sources are describing the record snowfall mark as something to be strived for, as we're expected to get enough precipitation Friday night and into Saturday to surpass 1896. "The Chicago area still needs slightly less than a half-inch of snow," the Sun-Times writes; Gapers Block is cheerier still, saying, "we still have a chance."

Not that any of us has any say in the matter, but we figured we'd ask our readers how you all felt about this impending red-letter date: