Do you need a snowblower in North Chicago, IL?
The machine for a North Chicago driveway
Gas single-stage
North Chicago gets enough snow that shovelling it all is a real job, about 5.6 tons a winter on this driveway, but storms over 8 inches are uncommon.
Before you buy, check the intake height against the deepest storm above, and plan to clear before the city plow leaves its ridge of heavy slush at the end of the drive.
How much snow North Chicago gets
- Snow a year
- 43 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 1.5 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 10 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 55
Moderate, a typical snowy-city winter. That is about 1.2 times what a typical snowy US city gets. It tends to stay, so each storm lands on the last one.
On a two car driveway that is about 5.6 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in North Chicago
- Nov2.5
- Dec9.7
- Jan11.0
- Feb12.8
- Mar5.3
- Apr1.8
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in February. Start and service a machine in October.
Towns near North Chicago
North Chicago is number 13 of 225 Illinois towns here for snowfall; St. Charles gets the most at 46 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waukegan, IL | 4 | 43 in | Gas single-stage |
| Gurnee, IL | 5 | 43 in | Gas single-stage |
| Lake Forest, IL | 6 | 34 in | Gas single-stage |
| Libertyville, IL | 6 | 43 in | Gas single-stage |
| Vernon Hills, IL | 8 | 43 in | Gas single-stage |
| Mundelein, IL | 9 | 43 in | Gas single-stage |
Where these numbers come from
Read next: Snowblowers on a gravel driveway and Single-stage or two-stage.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals from Mundelein 4 WSW, 11.9 miles from North Chicago. A normal winter, not this winter's forecast. Snow is weighed at 6.24 pounds a cubic foot, fresh and fairly dry; wet spring snow can weigh three times that.