You may not be able to build a snowman, but the overnight precipitation did mark the first measurable snowfall of the season in Chicago -- which is one of the latest "first snows" in the city's history.
According to the Chicago Tribune, half an inch of snow had fallen by 6 a.m. at O'Hare Airport and reached up to 1 inch in Elburn, Ill. Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood also reported a half inch of snow.
There is a 40 percent change that more snow flurries will fall before noon Friday, Accuweather reports.
While Chicagoans are usually shoveling their sidewalks by late November, the latest measurable snowfall on record happened on Dec. 16, 1965, when 0.3 inches fell on the city, according to the National Weather Service. This year's late snow ties with Dec. 9, 1948 as the fifth-latest date for measurable snow.
Despite the slow start, AccuWeather is still standing by their previous call that Chicago will be clobbered by some of the worst weather of the nation this winter, including as much as 58 inches of snow. The Cook County Department of Homeland Security is preparing accordingly and both of the city's airports also say they are ready for Mother Nature's frosty fury.
Already, the wintry weather is leading to accidents on city roadways. The Chicago Sun-Times reports on early morning accidents:
I
llinois Department of Transportation trucks were spreading salt on area expressways and tollways early Friday to help mitigate the wintry conditions, officials said. Authorities have responded to dozens of spinouts and minor accidents across the Chicago area Friday morning, though only a few minor injuries have been reported.
State Police in the Chicago District alone were responding to “at least a dozen” accidents at about 6:45 a.m. as several vehicles had spun out or hit walls because of slick road conditions, a trooper said.
The Tribune reports that at least one fatal accident was reported about 7 a.m. Friday, which involved a box truck and a pickup truck on the inbound Eisenhower.