Chicago’s first snow of the season arrived Thursday morning — and with it came a mix of wintry joy and seasonal dread.Samuel Bolian, a 29-year-old Rogers Park resident, watched the snow pick up throughout his overnight shift, he said. It was already misting when he went into work in Glenview at 1 a.m. Thursday, and by the time he was leaving around 7:30 a.m., snow had already accumulated on his and his coworkers’ cars.Bolian welcomed the snowfall as a reminder of some valuable life lessons: the first one being to treat others with kindness, even if they’re strangers, he said. He practiced this after brushing snow off his car and leaving the brush behind for his coworker who didn’t have one yet.“I’ve been through some really difficult times, and there have been some people who showed up who didn’t have to,” Bolian said. “Some didn’t even know me, and others knew the worst of me but still offered a helping hand.” Bolian encountered his next life lesson while driving slowly through Albany Park to avoid sliding in the slushy streets while running errands, he said.“Driving is difficult, but those of us who are wise, we slow down,” he said. “And I think that’s what we should do in life. … Just enjoy the journey.” A pedestrian walks along North Greenview Avenue near West Howard Street in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls Thursday across the Chicago area. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 1 of 18 A motorist scrapes snow off their vehicle on West Howard Street near North Rogers Avenue in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls Thursday across the Chicago area. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 2 of 18 A person rides an electric unicycle on West Howard Street near North Rogers Avenue in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls Thursday across the Chicago area. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 3 of 18 Kids take a walk Thursday as snow falls in Edgewater. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 4 of 18 A pedestrian crosses West Howard Street near North Rogers Avenue in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls Thursday across the Chicago area. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 5 of 18 A snowplow removes snow off West Howard Street near North Rogers Avenue in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls Thursday across the Chicago area. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 6 of 18 Commuters wait for a bus Thursday as snow falls on North Broadway Street in Edgewater. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 7 of 18 A bus that is not in service is parked on North Broadway Street in Edgewater as snow piles up on the street Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 8 of 18 People shovel snow off the sidewalk on North Greenview Avenue near West Howard Street in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls Thursday across the Chicago area. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 9 of 18 Pedestrians walk on North Broadway in Edgewater as snow piles up on the street Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 10 of 18 A motorist scrapes snow off their vehicle on West Howard Street near North Rogers Avenue in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls Thursday across the Chicago area. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 11 of 18 A pedestrian walks on North Broadway in Edgewater as snow piles up on the street Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 12 of 18 A pedestrian crosses West Howard Street near North Rogers Avenue in Rogers Park on the North Side as snow falls across the Chicago area, Nov. 21, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times 13 of 18 Pedestrians cross North Clark Street in Andersonville as snow falls Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 14 of 18 A person rides a bike in Andersonville as snow falls Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 15 of 18 A pedestrian walks in Andersonville as snow falls Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 16 of 18 A person rides a scooter in Andersonville as snow falls Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 17 of 18 Pedestrians walk in Andersonville as snow falls Thursday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 18 of 18 The snow began to fall in the northern suburbs around 8 a.m. before reaching the city, western and southern suburbs around 9 a.m., Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Sun-Times early Thursday. A trace of snow fell Wednesday evening, but it wasn’t measurable.Throughout the day, Chicagoans reported as much as three inches of snow in some parts of the city, said David King, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The organization had tracked 2.9 inches of snow at O’Hare and 2.5 inches at Midway, he said.While some, like Bolian, welcomed the snow, others were not as enthusiastic.In Evanston, Analie Papageorge was among several residents who were bundled up and shielding themselves from the snowfall with jackets, hoodies and umbrellas. She said she doesn't look forward to the first snowfall.“I liked Sunday, when it was 60 degrees,” Papageorge said with a laugh.Papageorge said she wasn’t happy to be shoveling snow outside her hair salon, and that she’d much rather enjoy the winter weather from the comfort of her home.“I’m not ready,” she said. “But then you get ready. There’s nothing you can do about it.”Down the street from Papageorge’s salon in a downtown Evanston plaza covered with snow, spirits were higher with Param Hemani and Dhinal Thakker, who were celebrating their first snowfall ever.“We were tracking the weather app very closely,” Hemani said, detailing the anticipation leading up to Thursday.Hemani and Thakker are originally from India and are graduate students at Northwestern University. Both were outside with a third friend making snowballs and taking photos as the snow fell on them.But Hemani and Thakker seemed unsure whether their joy would last as their first Chicago-area winter experience continued.“Too soon to tell,” Thakker said. Oscar Hernandez shovels snow in front of a pawn shop where he is the store manager Nov. 21, 2024 in Albany Park. Violet Miller/Sun-Times By around 3:30 p.m., temperatures in the Chicago area had risen above freezing to 37 degrees, and the snowfall turned into a light rain, King said. That rain was expected to continue, gradually slowing down into the evening.“In terms of the snow hanging around, we’ve already seen the roads are doing much better,” King said. “All the accumulations that are hanging on are in the grassy areas, so you might wake up tomorrow with some small patches of snow in those grassy areas, but I also wouldn't be surprised if you wake up and all the snow is gone.” Temperatures are expected to rise to the low-to-mid 40s on Friday, so any remaining snow should be melted, King said. This will be followed by a few days of drier weather and temps ranging from the low 40s to low 50s. The next rainfall is expected Sunday into Monday.Even after it melts, this first snowfall will be remembered as a surprise present for Oscar Hernandez, who just turned 33 years old and was out shoveling snow in front of a Cash America pawn shop Thursday afternoon.Hernandez had woken up to a different kind of flurry Thursday morning — jokes from friends that nature had gifted him snow for his birthday.“This is a gift,” Hernandez said. “Last year we didn’t get a lot, so I’m grateful for it.” Temperatures are expected to range from the low 40s to low 50s Friday through Sunday, when rain could happen again into Monday morning.National Weather Service