The weather service says some areas in Lake and McHenry counties saw seven inches of snow overnight as the Chicagoland area records the quickest start to the snowfall season since 1978.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter weather advisory early Saturday morning for McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Kendall, Cook and Will counties.
A clipper system brought accumulating snowfall to northern Illinois starting late Saturday into Sunday morning, the NWS said.
Total snow accumulation across northeastern Illinois was initially estimated to be between two and six inches.
Some areas of the Chicagoland area saw seven inches or more of accumulation.
The highest snowfall totals between Lake and McHenry counties were seven inches in Lindenhurst and Capron, 6.9 inches in Greenwood, 6.6 inches northwest of Woodstock, 6.5 inches in Long Lake and 6 inches in Wadsworth.
The winter weather advisory was in effect at midnight Saturday and expired at 9 a.m. Sunday.
The highest snowfall totals were north of Interstate 80, including a narrow band of 5-7 inches near the Illinois-Wisconsin state line.
The NWS said winter 2025-2026 is off to a “roaring start” with over 15 inches of snow measured at both Chicago and Rockford in the past nine days alone.
Seasonal snow totals are getting close to or have already hit the unusually low totals from the entirety of last winter.
At the Chicago-O’Hare weather station, this is the quickest start to the snowfall season with 17.1 inches recorded so far, which was last beat in 1978 when 24.1 inches fell by December 7, the NWS said.
Another shot of arctic air is on the way next weekend across the northeastern quadrant of the United States.
Wind chills may drop below zero, especially during the overnight hours, the NWS said.
The weather service said Sunday evening will be cold with a few snow showers near Lake Michigan.
The swath of snow with the next clipper system is favored to pass to the north Tuesday into Wednesday, allowing for temperatures to warm above freezing before the colder air returns toward the end of the week.