Overnight snow might set February record

As the last remnants of the Blizzard of 2011 were beginning to melt away, more snow overnight and expected later this week could cause a record from 1896 to fall.

Bill Nelson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said 26.3 inches of snow fell in the month of February as of 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

However, he said, we are just shy of 27.8 inches, the record snowfall accumulation for the month of February, recorded in 1896.

He said new accumulation figures would be released at noon, so the record could fall today. But, if it doesn’t, snow is also forecast to fall Friday that could push us over the top.

The 26.3 inches of snowfall observed so far this February at O’Hare International Airport has made 2011 the second snowiest, Nelson said.

The previous 26.2 inches that was shoved into third place on the all time list was recorded in February 1994, and four of the top 10 snowiest Februaries in Chicago have occurred since 2007, according to the weather service.

A flood advisory for two northeastern Illinois rivers also remains in effect.

The Des Plaines and Fox rivers are under threat of overflow as melting snow, rainfall and, now, snowfall are causing water levels to rise.

The flood advisory for the Des Plaines River is set to expire 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The flood advisory for the Fox River is in effect until Thursday afternoon, and the river is expected to rise to the point of overflow in some areas by early Tuesday morning.

The weather service is advising drivers who encounter a flooded roadway to turn around and find an alternate route.