A narrow band of quickly falling snow brought as much as two inches of accumulation to some parts of the Chicago area overnight, the National Weather Service said, though it fell apart in the early morning hours.
According to the NWS, some areas in the far northern and northwest suburbs saw the heaviest snowfall. In Rockford, 1.9 inches of snow was recorded, with salt trucks deployed since 2:30 a.m.
"Please slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination this morning," the city posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Some light flurries or sprinkles could continue through mid-morning Wednesday, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said, as the band moved through eastern Will County and into Northwest Indiana.
"After the narrow band passes, we are dry," Roman said. "The rest of the day will be cloudy and chilly," with high temperatures in the mid-30s, which is average for this time of year.
Thursday will also see temperatures in the mid-30s, with dry conditions in the morning but another chance of snow developing in the early evening, beginning around 5 p.m.
Snowflakes were expected to move further east around 7 p.m. Thursday night, Roman said, with light scattered snow showers expected across Chicago.
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Those snow showers would continue into Friday morning, Roman said, with lake effect snow expected across Northwest Indiana Friday evening.
That system could bring upwards of two inches of accumulation in parts to the north and the west, with lower totals elsewhere, Roman said.
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While temperatures will remain in the mid-30s Friday, they'll dip into the 20s Saturday, Roman said. But the cold spell won't last long, with rebounding temperatures Sunday and readings in the 40s by the middle of the week.
According to Roman, Christmas Day's high temperature this year is predicted to be 43 degrees. By the end of Christmas week, temperatures are expected to top out in the upper 40s.
Will Chicago have a ‘White Christmas' in 2024? Here's what we know so far
According to the NWS, a holiday is considered a “White Christmas” when there is at least one inch of snow on the ground on Dec. 25.
But there haven't been many of those in Chicago in recent years. According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, we’ve only had three since 2010, with the most recent occurring in 2022.
According to NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman, the Chicago area expects to see above average temperatures from Dec. 25 through Dec. 31, with a partly sunny and dry Christmas Day. While the day after Christmas could see a chance for showers, temperatures well above freezing will keep precipitation in the form of rain.
