Yes, sure, there's a chance of flooding roadways or riverbanks in the forecast. But to be honest, that's not as scary as that one word that's creeping into the National Weather Service forecast.

Snow.

There. I said it. I'm glad I said it. What do you think about that?

The NWS-Chicago (41.88°N 88.32°W) still has a Flood Advisory and Hazardous Weather Outlook in place.

"THE FLOOD ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE FOX RIVER ... AT MONTGOMERY AFFECTING KANE AND KENDALL COUNTIES ...

"IF YOU ENCOUNTER A FLOODED ROADWAY ... TURN AROUND AND FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO."

But there it is—that word—in the plain, old everyday forecast. 

"Thursday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a west northwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent."

It's the word that conjurs images of last winter's blizzard here and the East Coast's unseasonable 2011 Halloween treat.