CHICAGO – The Arctic cold front moving through Chicagoland this afternoon will bring scattered snow, strong winds, dropping temperatures and below-freezing wind chills.
A wind advisory is now in effect for the entire Chicago area until midnight for west-northwesterly gusts up to 45 mph.
Once scattered snow begins to fall, the high winds and falling snow will sometimes lead to dramatically reduced visibility. This may have consequences for commuting in the late afternoon and evening.
Timeline of snow showers
Scattered rain and snow showers will arrive in the far northern and northwestern suburbs around 4 p.m., then move quickly from north to south across the area.
As temperatures drop, any precipitation in the form of rain will quickly turn to snow. Brief heavy snow showers are possible in Chicagoland between about 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
Commuters should be aware of rapidly changing road conditions. Heavier snow showers can quickly cover roads with a thin layer of snow. The snow combined with high winds will also lead to reduced visibility, which could lead to dangerous travel.
The snow showers stop around 8 or 9 p.m., after which the rest of the night is dominated by the cold. Air temperatures will drop into the teens tonight, and wind chills will likely be below freezing by late evening through Thursday morning.
Thursday forecast
The wind will remain strong on Thursday, with a northwesterly wind with gusts between 25 and 35 km/h during the day. With high temperatures only in the 20s, wind chills won’t exceed the mid-teens.
Thursday will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy with highs in the mid to mid 20s. A few more clouds will develop on Friday, with skies becoming partly cloudy during the day. High temperatures remain below normal, around 30 degrees.
The weekend looks pleasant for now. Saturday will be partly cloudy with highs in the 40s, and we will approach 50 degrees on Sunday afternoon.
Our next chance for precipitation after tonight’s snow showers is Monday. There is a chance of rain showers on Monday with highs around 50 degrees.
