The Halloween snow in Kane County today was something to see — a jaw-dropper and a record-setter.

According to the National Weather Service Chicago, we rarely get accumulating snow on Halloween, but this year is the exception — and then some.

Fast Facts

• The official snowfall for Chicago on Oct 30 was 1.2 inches observed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, breaking Chicago’s previous daily record for Oct 30 of 0.7 inches set in 1923.
• The official snowfall for Chicago on Oct. 31 was 3.4″ observed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. This breaks Chicago’s previous daily record for Oct 31 of 0. inches set in 2014. Halloween records and data can be found here.
• This single event made October 2019 the second snowiest October on record in Chicago with 4.6 inches falling — not far behind 6.3 inches in 1989.
• With last winter lingering through April and this early season snow, there was not much time between snowfall events for the off season. In fact, the 185 days between accumulating snow events (>= 0.1 inch) for Chicago was the sixth shortest stretch of days on record for the city. When looking at between 1-inch-or-more events, the 185 days was actually tied for the shortest stretch with 1967.
• The official snowfall for Rockford on Oct. 29 was 0.5 inches, observed at Chicago Rockford International Airport.
• The official snowfall for Rockford for the Oct. 30-31 system was 3.7 inches with 3.1 inches observed on Oct. 31. This breaks Rockford’s previous daily record for Oct. 31 of 0.1 inches, set in 2014.
• This made October 2019 the second snowiest October on record in Rockford with 4.2 inches falling not far behind 5.0 inches in 1929.

Lincoln Avenue in Geneva. Photo courtesy of Jim Plonczynski

Snow Totals

The NWS Chicago snow totals might be a tad less then you might have thought.

According to the NWS, ELburn lead Kane County with 5.0 inches. Elgin had 4.5 inches and St. Charles 4.0 inches apiece.

Highwood 1S (Lake)............................5.8
  Buffalo Grove 2N (Lake).......................5.5
  Mundelein (Lake)..............................5.5
  Bull Valley 2WNW (McHenry)....................5.2
  Elburn (Kane).................................5.0
  Lake Zurich (Lake)............................4.7
  Wonder Lake 1WNW (McHenry)....................4.6
  Genoa (De Kalb)...............................4.5
  Elgin 2W (Kane)...............................4.5
  Paw Paw (Lee).................................4.5
  Cortland (De Kalb)............................4.3
  Cary (McHenry)................................4.3
  Woodstock 4SW (McHenry).......................4.2
  Hoffman Estates 2SE (Cook)....................4.1
  Steward (Lee).................................4.1
  Elmhurst 1ESE (Du Page).......................4.0
  St. Charles 6NW (Kane)........................4.0
  Lake Villa 1SSW (Lake)........................4.0
  Algonquin 1N (McHenry)........................4.0
  Park Ridge 1WNW (Cook)........................3.9
  Batavia (Kane)................................3.8
  Arlington Heights 1SW (Cook)..................3.8
  Batavia 1WNW (Kane)...........................3.8
  Riverwoods (Lake).............................3.8
  Park Ridge (Cook).............................3.6
  Elgin (Kane)..................................3.5
  Schaumburg 2E (Cook)..........................3.5
  Lincolnwood 2E (Cook).........................3.5
  Geneva 1SSW (Kane)............................3.5
  Crystal Lake 1WSW (McHenry)...................3.5
  Roscoe 2ESE (Winnebago).......................3.4
  Roscoe 2se (Winnebago)........................3.4
  Ohare Airport (Cook)..........................3.2
  Woodstock 5nw (McHenry).......................3.2
  De Kalb (De Kalb).............................3.0
  Palatine 1NNE (Cook)..........................3.0
  Elk Grove Village 1ESE (Cook).................3.0
  Elk Grove Village 2WSW (Cook).................3.0
  Aurora 4SE (Du Page)..........................3.0
  Morris 6ESE (Grundy)..........................3.0
  Elgin 1S (Kane)...............................3.0
  Geneva 4WSW (Kane)............................3.0
  Lincolnshire 1N (Lake)........................3.0
  Lake Villa 2WSW (Lake)........................3.0
  Lockport 1SE (Will)...........................3.0
  Marseilles Lock & Dam (La Salle)..............3.0
  Ottawa (La Salle).............................3.0
  Oak Park 1NNE (Cook)..........................2.9
  Lincolnwood 3E (Cook).........................2.8
  Rockford 1NW (Winnebago)......................2.8
  Plainfield (Will).............................2.8
  Roselle 1ESE (Du Page)........................2.6
  Ottawa 2N (La Salle)..........................2.6
  Mundelein (Lake)..............................2.6
  Chatsworth (Livingston).......................2.5
  Elgin (Kane)..................................2.5
  Bridgeview 1NNW (Cook)........................2.5
  Oak Lawn (Cook)...............................2.5
  De Kalb (De Kalb).............................2.5
  Wheaton 2NNE (Du Page)........................2.5
  Carol Stream (Du Page)........................2.5
  Naperville 2SE (Du Page)......................2.5
  New Lenox 2SE (Will)..........................2.5
  New Lenox 3E (Will)...........................2.5
  Rockford 3NE (Winnebago)......................2.5
  Westmont (Du Page)............................2.5
  Lisle 1SE (Du Page)...........................2.4
  Sugar Grove 1NE (Kane)........................2.4
  Hebron (McHenry)..............................2.3
  La Salle (La Salle)...........................2.3
  Winnetka 1ESE (Cook)..........................2.2
  Minooka (Grundy)..............................2.2
  Naperville 4SSW (Will)........................2.2
  Coal City 4NNW (Grundy).......................2.1
  Naperville 1NW (Du Page)......................2.1
  Carbon Hill 3.1N (Grundy).....................2.1
  Peotone (Will)................................2.1
  Plainfield 2SSE (Will)........................2.1
  Peotone (Will)................................2.1
  Aurora (Kane).................................2.0
  Barrington (Lake).............................2.0
  Dwight (Livingston)...........................2.0
  Dixon (Lee)...................................2.0
  Fairbury (Livingston).........................2.0
  Oak Park 2S (Cook)............................2.0
  Chicago Ridge (Cook)..........................2.0
  Oak Lawn 2WNW (Cook)..........................2.0
  North Aurora 2NE (Kane).......................2.0
  Rockford (Winnebago)..........................2.0

Geneva Photos And Video

Here are some images from Geneva taken by Kane County Connects Editor Rick Nagel and citizen Jim Plonczynski as well as photos from the Fox River shores Forest Preserve, courtesy of Kane County Board member Chris Kious.

Northern Kane County Area

Photos by Chris Kious