Northern Illinois Could See Its First Snow Earlier Than You Think

If you’re wondering when Northern Illinois could see its first snowfall of the season, an old weather folklore saying and the latest Farmers’ Almanac prediction may have us looking at September thunderstorms a little differently.

andrearenata

Fall Weather in Northern Illinois

Fall is a great time to live in Northern Illinois, but it can also be a wild ride when it comes to weather.

One minute we're sweating and cranking the AC up, then the very next day we're digging through the closet for a hoodie and turning on the heat.

READ MORE: Illinois City Name the Most Weather Resilient In the World 

Recently I was reminded about an old piece of weather folklore that now has me looking at the September rain we're experiencing a little differently.

The saying goes: The first snowfall of the season will arrive six weeks after the last thunderstorm in September.

Obviously, that saying is not an official weather-prediction method, but it does make one wonder if Mother Nature knows something we don't... and there’s plenty of rain and chances for storms in the Northern Illinois forecast.

So, if the storms expected this week end up being our last thunderstorm of the month, and the folklore is correct, Northern Illinois' first snowfall could happen around Halloween.

And guess what? The latest snow predictions for Illinois from the Farmers’ Almanac are saying something similar.

Farmers' Almanac Predictions for First Snowfall in Illinois

New snow predictions from the Farmers' Almanac say much of the Great Lakes region (that's us) typically sees its first snowfall in November, but late October isn't out of the question this year either.

Farmers' Almanac

If you're now dreading the possibility of snow arriving in Northern Illinois in less than a month, find some comfort knowing that the Farmers' Almanac points out that there is a big difference between seeing the first flakes and seeing snow that actually sticks around. (the graphic above is predicting first flakes, not measurable snow.)

Here's the good news for Illinois snow haters: the latest information from the Farmers' Almanac suggests we should still have plenty of time for pumpkins, colorful leaves, apple cider and hoodies before snow becomes a regular part of the forecast... but we might want to enjoy every single one of those fall days while we still can.