1/24-1/25 Major Winter Storm - S. IL, IN, and OH

[Frog Town]

Just measured 4" here in Toledo.  I think everyone in Ohio, outside of the snowbelt, had their guard up after years of dry slot, virga, wtod, etc., and then to wake up to this!  We are all in shock, lol.  

[Baum]

1 hour ago, A-L-E-K said:

$$$

[Gino27]

11 minutes ago, Frog Town said:

Just measured 4" here in Toledo.  I think everyone in Ohio, outside of the snowbelt, had their guard up after years of dry slot, virga, wtod, etc., and then to wake up to this!  We are all in shock, lol.  

Happy to have one finally work out. Just measured 8" in Columbus. I've been parked under the heaviest bands since 3am

[Frog Town]

4 minutes ago, Gino27 said:

Happy to have one finally work out. Just measured 8" in Columbus. I've been parked under the heaviest bands since 3am

Wow!  With 8" already you guys have a legit chance at hitting 20"

[Chicago WX]

Measured 3.2" a little while ago. Best rates have been this morning. Overall, ratios have been blah, but I think we kinda knew you had to get into good bands to get the fluff. LOT's call of 3-5" was money. Over 30" for the season now IMBY. Looks like winter again. I'm pleased. 

[Baum]

10 minutes ago, Chicago WX said:

Measured 3.2" a little while ago. Best rates have been this morning. Overall, ratios have been blah, but I think we kinda knew you had to get into good bands to get the fluff. LOT's call of 3-5" was money. Over 30" for the season now IMBY. Looks like winter again. I'm pleased. 

Yeah. Kudos to them on this. I’ll probably end up with 2” of pixie dust. As forecasted.  They were fairly consistent on this despite the razor thin cut off bi secting the metro.

[Pellice]

Just went out to stock the birdfeeders and measured again.  Now 7" at 12 F.  Snow still a high water content here in west Cincinnati.

[homedis]

5.6” and still cranking, I’m super impressed. Is this what it regularly feels like to be on the east side of the lake? Lol

[sbnwx85]

At 2.2” with steady snow. Would be cool if the heavy stuff over the Decatur area would wing through here.

[Stevo6899]

I'd imagine by looking at radar, it's snowing an inch per hour. I'd say the models did pretty good with this, atleast in se mi.

[buckeye]

most places around CMH should have 11-12" OTG at noon....then models show about another 6 hours of snow after that..     Pretty impressive, won't beat #1 2008, but definitely could come in as #2 largest snowfall in CMH history since that would require greater than 15".    

[Chicago916]

4-5 inches and still cranking! Should get to 6 with it still snowing and the main LE band still north of here!

[AWMT30]

Small flakes are going to screw us over here in the area but still its gonna add up to near 6-7" A solid Winter Storm. 

[cyclone77]

Finished with 0.4".

[DocATL]

Close to 2 inches in Naperville though we might cash in on a bit more lake enhancement based on simulated radar.


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[ILSNOW]

looks to me that the Milwaukee Lake effect band is now reached Waukegan and will merge with the Lake enhancement of southern Lake and Cook County.

[Chicago916]

Interesting the different shapes to lake effect/lake enhancement. Almost like there's fingers of lake enhanced snow so between the fingers there's virtually no snow. 

[ILSNOW]

Just now, Chicago916 said:

Interesting the different shapes to lake effect/lake enhancement. Almost like there's fingers of lake enhanced snow so between the fingers there's virtually no snow. 

yep it comes in waves snows hard for a bit and then nothing

[ILSNOW]

923 AM CST Sun Jan 25 2026

ILZ103>105-252200-
/O.UPG.KLOT.WW.Y.0005.000000T0000Z-260126T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KLOT.WS.W.0002.260125T1523Z-260125T2200Z/
Northern Cook-Central Cook-Southern Cook-
Including the cities of Park Forest, Des Plaines, Schaumburg,
Evanston, Chicago, Calumet City, Oak Forest, Lemont, Orland Park,
Oak Park, Palatine, Cicero, La Grange, Northbrook, and Oak Lawn
923 AM CST Sun Jan 25 2026

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Snow...heavy at times. Additional snow accumulations 2 to 5
  inches, heaviest near Lake Michigan. Storm total snowfall ranging
  2 to 4 inches northwestern Cook County to 6 to 12 inches near the
  lake. Snowfall rates around 1 inch per hour are expected with the
  more intense lake effect snow bands.

* WHERE...Central Cook, Northern Cook, and Southern Cook Counties

[A-L-E-K]

Lol this is our moment 

[mimillman]

Snowglobe. Probably close to 5” down 

[DocATL]

All the feels, half the clean up.

[ILSNOW]

Izzi

Lake enhanced snow has overperformed overnight with totals of
4-7" observed near Lake Michigan in Cook County. Snow to liquid
ratios have been on the order of 25-40:1 with the lake enhanced
snow. Guidance depicts a strengthening low level convergence
axis this morning with similar moisture and instability
profiles, which would favor a consolidation from a multibanded
structure to a single band or two of more intense lake enhanced
snow. Given the expectation that heavy lake enhanced snowfall
with rates around or just over an inch per hour will continue
across Cook County the remainder of the morning and into at
least the early afternoon, opted to upgrade Cook County to a
winter storm warning. Additional snowfall of 2-5" seems likely
near the lake, which on top of the already 4-7" that has fallen
should leave snowfall totals near the lake in the 6-12" range.

[A-L-E-K]

Utah snow

[Frog Town]

Concerned that convection over Tennessee is robbing moisture transport into the back end of the storm...

[nvck]

Report of 11" in Middletown from 9:30 this am. expect another 6" at least for them

[SchaumburgStormer]

.5” imby 

[michsnowfreak]

Sitting inside enjoying the snowstorm. Will go out and play later. We probably have 3 with 2-3 more to go. Had 5 on the ground before the storm started. 

[mimillman]

Cook county getting the LE goods for once 

[Baum]

1 hour ago, DocATL said:

Close to 2 inches in Naperville though we might cash in on a bit more lake enhancement based on simulated radar.


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I was told that didn’t happen in the western burbs.