Dusting of snow hits Chicago, the first of the season

A dusting of snow hit the Chicago area on Friday, the first of the season.

Trace amounts of snow were measured mid-day at Midway and O’Hare airports, according to the National Weather Service office.

The snow was falling in spurts and melting on the ground, weather service meteorologist Brett Borchardt said.

“This is about exactly what we were expecting,” he said Friday afternoon. “It’s not steady — and that’s a good thing — because it’s allowing the snow to melt.”

The snowfall will begin to stop around 6 p.m., he said.

Tyler LaRiviere/ Sun-Times

The next round of snow is forecast for Saturday night and Sunday. The northern suburbs could get hit the worst, but the accumulation is expected to be slushy, Borchardt said.

Mid-November is about average for the first snow of the season, but the area usually gets its first trace amounts of snow on Oct. 31, according to weather service records.

Chicago usually sees its first snowfall of an inch or more on Dec. 7.