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Chicago Snowstorm Coming? Largest Snowfall Of Season So Far Possible This Week

Largest Snowfall Of Season Possible Beginning Thursday
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Gavin Han, left, hold a snow sled as he walks in the snow-covered at Lake Michigan in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Lake and McHenry counties for most of Thursday, with freezing rain, sleet and snow possibly stretching over the morning and evening commutes. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Good news for Chicagoans who've missed snow during this unusually dry winter: the city may get hit by its most significant amount of snowfall so far this year beginning Thursday evening.

According to AccuWeather, a storm system bringing heavy snowfall to the central Plains is expected to arrive in northern Illinois and the Chicago area Thursday evening -- and, though weakened, could still bring at least three inches of the white stuff, potentially surpassing this winter's paltry one-day snow record of 2.4 inches, set on Feb. 4.

Other forecasts are predicting even more snowfall in Chicago late Thursday into Friday. CBS Chicago reports that, according to the National Weather Service, the system could bring as much as four or five inches of snow. Another forecast model is indicating that 5.5 inches could fall at O'Hare International Airport, according to the Chicago Tribune.

This winter has been an unusually snowless one. With only 10.9 inches of snowfall, the city's total is only 40 percent a normal rate. The city hasn't made it this far into winter without at least one one-day snowfall of at least three inches in nearly three decades, the Tribune reports.

Beyond the 20 percent chance of snow Friday, CBS reports that the weekend is expected to remain snowless.

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Before You Go

Snow In Chicago
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(credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5be20e40e4b0aeaf24c592a4" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="0" data-vars-position-in-unit="3">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22742772@N05/11393661695" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="MrsSparkyC" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5be20e40e4b0aeaf24c592a4" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22742772@N05/11393661695" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="1" data-vars-position-in-unit="4">MrsSparkyC</a>)
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In this Dec. 14, 2013 photo provided by the Chicago Zoological Society, Everest, a 6-month-old Snow Leopard cub, left, plays in the snow with his mother, Sarani. Everest, Sarani, along with father, Sabu, can be seen in the zoos Big Cats exhibit. (AP Photo/Chicago Zoological Society, Jim Schulz) (credit:AP)
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Several inches of snow covers along a lakeshore trail Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, in Chicago. A late-autumn storm dumped more than half a foot of snow on parts of central Illinois overnight. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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A woman carries her luggage on the sidewalk on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013., in Evanston, Ill. Snow continued to fall over the Chicago area into northwest Indiana. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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People walk around the Millennium Park as a snow storm passes through the region Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Chicago. Chicago was hit Tuesday by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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A commuter walks across a Chicago River bridge as a snow storm passes through downtown Chicago Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Chicago was hit Tuesday by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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Commuters walk during a snow storm as they arrive in downtown Chicago Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Chicago was hit by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day, the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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Commuters wait for a bus Tuesday, March 5, 2013 in Chicago during the start of a snow storm. Chicago was hit by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day, the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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Snow covers the school buses in the parking lots in Chicago, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. The brunt of the season's biggest storm was hitting Chicago just in time for the evening commute, with around half a foot of snow already on the ground as more than 1,000 flights were canceled and hundreds of schools were closed for the day. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Snow covers cars parked in the parking lots at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. A late winter storm packing up to 10 inches of snow sent officials in weather-hardened Chicago into action Tuesday to prevent a repeat of scenes from two years ago, when hundreds of people in cars and buses were stranded on the city's marquee thoroughfare during a massive blizzard. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Travelers make their way past snow-covered cars parked in the parking lot at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. A late winter storm packing up to 10 inches of snow sent officials in weather-hardened Chicago into action Tuesday to prevent a repeat of scenes from two years ago, when hundreds of people in cars and buses were stranded on the city's marquee thoroughfare during a massive blizzard. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Diana Stewart carries her luggage case in the parking lots O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. A late winter storm packing up to 10 inches of snow sent officials in weather-hardened Chicago into action Tuesday to prevent a repeat of scenes from two years ago, when hundreds of people in cars and buses were stranded on the city's marquee thoroughfare during a massive blizzard. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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A man walks around the Millennium Park as a snow storm passes through the region Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Chicago. Chicago was hit Tuesday by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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An El train runs through Chicago's downtown loop as a snow storm passes through the region Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Chicago was hit Tuesday by a storm expected to dump as much as 10 inches of snow in the area before the end of the day the most since the 2011 blizzard and its more than 20 inches of snow. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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Rolling Meadows High School students Jack Swindells, 14, and Connor Allen, 15, walkwith their heads down to shield themselves from the blowing snow in Arlington Heights, Ill., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. The students were dismissed early as a winter storm moved through the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Mark Welsh) (credit:AP)
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Fresh snow covers Anish Kapoor's sculpture "Cloud Gate" and gives it the appearance of a cracked egg as a lone pedestrian walks around the stainless steel attraction in Chicago's Millennium Park, as a winter storm of rain and snow begins Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Forecasters expect the storm to leave behind three to six inches of snow in the greater Chicago area. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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A man shovels snow at his home in Glenview, Ill., Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The storm that socked the Chicago area with the season's biggest snowfall has tapered off, but it's not completely finished. Snow will continue falling periodically today, dropping another inch or two in the city and up to three inches in the northern suburbs, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Snow covers the cars parked in the parking lots at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The storm that socked the Chicago area with the season's biggest snowfall has tapered off, but it's not completely finished. Snow will continue falling periodically today, dropping another inch or two in the city and up to three inches in the northern suburbs, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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With the Chicago skyline as a back drop, the swirling waves of Lake Michigan are frozen near the Adler Planetarium after a winter storm dumped between three to five inches of snow in the greater Chicago area. Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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A man walks with his dog next to the snow-covered Lake Michigan in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. Gusty winds and iced-over roadways made for treacherous Midwest travel Friday as a major winter storm headed east over the Great Lakes. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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A lone man walks along the waters edge of Lake Michigan at Chicago's Monroe Harbor after a winter storm dumped between three to five inches of snow in the greater Chicago area. Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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A woman walks on a snow-covered sidewalk in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. Gusty winds and iced-over roadways made for treacherous Midwest travel Friday as a major winter storm headed east over the Great Lakes. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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A jogger jogs in the snow-covered at Lake Michigan in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Lake and McHenry counties for most of Thursday, with freezing rain, sleet and snow possibly stretching over the morning and evening commutes. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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A kid enjoys a snow sled in the snow-covered at Lake Michigan in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Lake and McHenry counties for most of Thursday, with freezing rain, sleet and snow possibly stretching over the morning and evening commutes. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Gavin Han, left, hold a snow sled as he walks in the snow-covered at Lake Michigan in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Lake and McHenry counties for most of Thursday, with freezing rain, sleet and snow possibly stretching over the morning and evening commutes. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Cody Vibaker cleans snow in front of his garage during a snow day in Chicago, Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Ice floats on the Lake Michigan during a cold day in downtown Chicago, Friday, Feb.1, 2013. A February hasnt opened this cold here in the 17 years since 1996. The combination of bitterly cold temperatures, hovering at daybreak Friday near or below zero in many corners of the metro area, plus the biting west winds gusting as high as 30 mph, are producing 15 to 25-below zero wind chills, readings as challenging as any Chicagoans have encountered this season. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Chicago downtown is seen through Icicles during a cold weather day in Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Friday, Feb.1, 2013. A February hasnt opened this cold here in the 17 years since 1996. The combination of bitterly cold temperatures, hovering at daybreak Friday near or below zero in many corners of the metro area, plus the biting west winds gusting as high as 30 mph, are producing 15 to 25-below zero wind chills, readings as challenging as any Chicagoans have encountered this season. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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A woman takes a walk with her dog in the snow-covered at Lake Michigan in Chicago, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. A fast-moving clipper system is expected to move southeast across the Midwest tonight on a track south of Chicago and is expected to deliver a significant snowfall in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the heaviest amounts across the north portions of the Chicago Metro area, mainly north and east of a line from Rockford to Valparaiso. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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Fresh snow sticks to the polished, curved stainless steel surface of the Annish Kapoor sculpture Cloud Gate as tourists walk by and have their picture taken in the reflection during a snow storm in Chicago's Millennium Park Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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A lone runner navigates the bike path through a snow storm at Chicago's North Ave. beach Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. Winter storms that in recent weeks have pounded the Midwest and eastern U.S. dont come close to erasing the harm of the nations worst drought in decades, making snowfall and its eventual melt-off more crucial than ever as drought still grips more than 60 percent of the continental U.S. much as it has since July. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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A lone cyclist navigates the bike path through a snow storm at Chicago's North Ave. beach Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. A muted version of the deadly winter storm that has killed more than a dozen across the eastern half of the country reached the Northeast on Thursday, limiting most of its wrath to travel headaches as Christmas revelers tried to return home. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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A man holds his shoes as he skates on the sidewalk as snow falls in Chicago, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. Weather forecasters say dry weather will dominate early next week before a storm moves into the Midwest, likely bringing Chicago more rain than snow. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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People clean the snow at front of a house in Chicago, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. As of 6 a.m. today, just .04 tenths of an inch of snow had been recorded at O'Hare International Airport for the entire season. That's less than the .05 tenths of an inch boasted so far by Dallas, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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A jogger runs on the sidewalk during snowfall in Chicago, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. As of 6 a.m. today, just .04 tenths of an inch of snow had been recorded at O'Hare International Airport for the entire season. That's less than the .05 tenths of an inch boasted so far by Dallas, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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People skate on an ice rink in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Snow and cold have been lacking in Chicago recently and one of the city's winterless weather streaks has now tied an all-time record. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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People skate on an ice rink in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Snow and cold have been lacking in Chicago recently and one of the city's winterless weather streaks has now tied an all-time record. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (credit:AP)
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In this Feb. 2, 2011 file photo, hundreds of cars are seen stranded on Lake Shore Drive Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Chicago. A winter blizzard of historic proportions wobbled an otherwise snow-tough Chicago, stranding hundreds of drivers for up to 12 hours overnight on the city's showcase lakeshore thoroughfare and giving many city schoolchildren their first ever snow day. A year later temperatures are in the mid 50's and flirting with record highs for this date. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato,File) (credit:AP)
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Commuters walk toward a rail station as the snow continues to accumulate in downtown Chicago Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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Commuters walk toward a rail station as the snow continues to accumulate in downtown Chicago Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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In this Feb. 2, 2011 file photo, hundreds of cars are seen stranded on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago after a winter blizzard of historic proportions wobbled an otherwise snow-tough Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) (credit:AP)
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A tow truck is seen on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago where hundreds of cars are stranded Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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Hundreds of cars are seen stranded on Lake Shore Drive, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Chicago. A winter blizzard of historic proportions wobbled an otherwise snow-tough Chicago, stranding hundreds of drivers for up to 12 hours overnight on the city's showcase lakeshore thoroughfare and giving many city schoolchildren their first ever snow day. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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David Gonzali, right, shovels his car out from under a snow bank, as others remain buried after a blizzard Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Chicago. Official say over 20 inches fell in the greater Chicago area during a 24 hour period. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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Snow and ice covered Lake Michigan Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) (credit:AP)
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A commuter waits under heat lamps on an elevated train track during a blizzard Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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High winds swirl the snow on an elevated train platform as Larry Roa waits for a train during a blizzard Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
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An early morning pedestrian walks under the elevated tracks on Wabash Ave, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, after a blizzard dumped nearly 20 inches of snow overnight in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (credit:AP)
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A pedestrian walks along the Chicago River, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, in Chicago after a blizzard dumped nearly 20 inches of snow on the area overnight. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (credit:AP)
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