A fast-approaching cold front could produce “bursts of snow” on Wednesday evening in the Chicago area, with squall lines producing hazardous travel conditions at times.
According to the National Weather Service, those fast-moving snow showers could impact the late stages of the evening commute, dramatically reducing visibility and creating slippery travel on snowy roadways in the region.
In addition, snow showers could stick around late into the evening, causing even more issues for drivers.
Here’s how things will progress in the Chicago area.
Wednesday Afternoon
With temperatures still above the freezing mark, any precipitation will likely fall as rain to start, but rapidly falling temperatures will eventually cause that precipitation to begin transitioning to snow as the evening commute starts to wane.
Wednesday Evening
Local
The risk of snow showers will continue to grow as the evening goes on, according to the National Weather Service. Initial estimates of the arrival of the system has been pushed back, with the leading edge of the front not producing the levels of precipitation that were expected.
When the system does arrive, precipitation could fall in the form of rain or mixed precipitation, then transition to snow as temperatures rapidly drop on Wednesday night.
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That could cause some instances of blowing snow, but could also form patchy ice on area roadways, causing headaches for motorists around the area.
Even after the front passes, snow showers could still occur around the area, leading to additional travel concerns at times, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Overnight, Thursday Morning
After the snow moves out of the area, winds are expected to continue raging throughout the night and into the morning, gusting above 40 miles per hour at times before slowly starting to ease near daybreak Thursday.
With lows in the teens, wind chills are expected to plummet to as much as 10-to-15 degrees below zero on Thursday morning, making for a frigid start to the day for kids heading to school and adults heading to work.
In addition, lake-effect snow is expected to persist in parts of northwest Indiana, specifically LaPorte County, into Thursday morning, with accumulations of 3-to-5 inches possible in some areas.
Thursday Afternoon
Highs Thursday are expected to reach into the upper-20s, but wind chills could still be in the upper single digits or the low teens across the area as blustery winds continue.
There should be some sunshine across most of the area during the afternoon, but it won’t do much in taking an edge off the cold.
Friday
Temperatures will rise into the low-30s for most of the Chicago area, and winds will continue to ease, paving the way for a slightly warmer weekend with sunnier skies and little risk of precipitation, at least before another system begins approaching the area Sunday night.
Saturday and Sunday
High temperatures Saturday could get into the upper-30s or even low-40s, and Sunday readings will be even warmer, with highs in the upper-40s or potentially even cracking 50 degrees in some southern suburbs.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather news and information, as well as the latest forecasts.
