While a wind chill warning comes to an end in the Chicago area Tuesday, the cold is not over just yet.
A wind chill advisory takes its place and while some relief is in sight, another round of snow and cold is on the horizon.
Here's a breakdown of what to expect:
Wind chill alerts for Chicago area
A wind chill warning was in effect for much of the Chicago area through noon Tuesday, including in Lake, McHenry, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Central Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy and Northern Will county.
In those parts, wind chill values were expected to drop between -15 and -25 degrees below zero, possibly as low as -35 in some parts.
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Local
At 5 a.m., wind chill temperatures clocked in around -24 degrees at O'Hare International Airport, the NBC 5 Storm Team said. Around 7 p.m., those wind chill temperatures are expected to be around -20.
According to the National Weather Service, that warning will switch over to a wind chill advisory that continues through Wednesday morning.
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Kankakee and eastern Will counties in Illinois, along with Porter, Northern LaPorte, Newton Counties in Indiana, and Kenosha County in Wisconsin were all under wind chill advisories through 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes," the NWS warned.
How cold will it be?
Tuesday will be sunny, with temperatures expected to hover around 0 degrees, with a high of 1 or 2 degrees, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said.
Wednesday, temperatures are expected to improve slightly.
"Still cold, but not as brutal Wednesday afternoon," Roman said.
There's also a chance for some snow Wednesday.
Beyond that, bitter cold wind chill values and possibly even some snow could return by the end of the week, although air temperatures aren't expected to drop as low.
On top of that, the frigid temperatures this week are expected to lead to ice formation on area rivers, "leading to a continued threat for ice jams and associated flooding," the NWS said.
Multiple rounds of snow possible
While Tuesday is expected to remain dry, a weak disturbance is expected to pass through Wednesday, mainly to the south and southwest, Roman said.
"We’re watching a system that could bring accumulating to some areas snow late Wed afternoon and evening," NWS tweeted Tuesday.
That system could extend into Thursday morning, though uncertainty surrouding it still remains.
"If this occurs, some travel impacts are likely, including for the Wed. PM commute," NWS warned.
Late Thursday into Friday, another round of snow could arrive, bringing 1-2 inches of accumulation across the area, Roman added.
According to NWS, this system will likely be more widespread, with additional lake effect snow possible in parts of northwest Indiana Friday.
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Warmer temperatures in the forecast
According to Roman, there's a high probability that the Chicago area could see above-average temperatures towards the end of the month.
The NBC 5 Storm Team's eight and 14-day temperature outlook shows that above average temperatures are likely to occur between January 23-29.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, the average temperature for those days is between 31 and 32 degrees. Forecast models show that temperatures eventually reaching into the low 40s is expected, however, with a high of 34 degrees Monday, 39 degrees Tuesday and 41 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.
"That's like a mini heat wave," Roman said.
