Things are about to get chillier in Chicago this week, with temperatures dropping below their seasonal averages and wind gusts ratcheting up on Monday.
According to forecast models, temperatures Monday will likely peak in the 30s and will dip during the way, with winds out of the northwest helping to fuel the rapid cooldown that will put a blustery edge on the weather in the area.
While Chicago and the surrounding suburbs will be spared lake-effect snow and the gustiest of the winds off of Lake Michigan, wind chills will certainly be an issue, dropping into the teens across most of the area.
Wind chills are a reflection of what the air outside feels like due to the combination of cold and wind, and the National Weather Service has a specific formula that they use to capture that sensation:
WindChill = 35.74 + (0.6215 × Temperature) − (35.75 × Windspeed x 0.16 ) + (0.4275 × T × Windspeed x 0.16 )
Fortunately for all of us, the NWS also provides a handy tool for calculating wind chill on their website.
For example, high temperatures in Chicago are only expected to reach the low-30s on Monday, with wind gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour at times.
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With a temperature of 30 degrees and wind speeds of 30 miles per hour, the wind chill would be just under 15 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NWS calculations.
Things are going to be even worse in northwest Indiana, with wind gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour possible in some locations. They’ll also have to contend with lake-effect snow, which could dump as much as 4-to-8 inches of snow on areas near South Bend.
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Fortunately, the cooler temperatures aren’t expected to last long, with highs rebounding into the mid-40s again by midweek in the area.
