In Chicago, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--just not a white one.
As of Sunday, the city is poised to break an 18-year record for most consecutive days without "measurable" snowfall, according to the National Weather Service.
1994 set the record with 280 days between measurable snowfalls, reports the Tribune. To break the record in 2012, Chicago will have to remain snowless until Monday.
A smattering of snow fell at O'Hare International Airport in mid-November, breaking the second-longest snowless streak in Chicago weather history, according to The Weather Channel. However, the snowfall was only considered a "trace" (less than a tenth of an inch) in meteorologic parlance.
"Measurable" is the key for breaking the 18-year record by Monday; to qualify, any snowfall Sunday will have to accumulate to one-tenth of an inch or more, The Tribune reports.
WGN-TV meteorologist Steve Kahn explained the record is on the table now due to the drought that has hit the area this year. The Tribune said 2011's winter's snowfall measured only 19.8 inches—a little more than half of the 36.7 inches marked as the average at O'Hare.
Though Chicago teeters close to breaking the long-standing record, a wintry storm with heavy snowfall is ripping across the upper Midwest Sunday which could keep the '94 record standing, according to a Reuters report.
Meanwhile, Chicagoans will have to wait and see if the snowless record falls or if Monday takes the city back to winter business as usual: snow, salt and really warm boots.
Photo by Cooperweb via Flickr.