CHICAGO - The Chicago area is gearing up for its first real taste of Winter this weekend as a cold Canadian air mass builds into the Great Lakes Region. Whether you’re ready for the snowflakes or not, Chicago’s average first trace of snow occurs around October 31st, so the timing of this upcoming blast of cold air is actually right on schedule.

What we know:

While this weekend’s snowfall is expected to bring minimal impacts, it’s time to start looking ahead to the winter season. Meteorological Winter is less than a month away, beginning on December 1st and running through the end of February.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released their 2025-2026 Winter Outlook, and not surprisingly, it resembles a typical La Niña weather pattern.

So what does th

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