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The days of an unseasonably warm winter may soon be over.
Two separate winter systems could bring Chicago a taste of winter weather in the coming days, with the first set to arrive Friday night. At around 10 or 11 p.m., snow showers are expected to move into the Chicago area's southern counties, lifting upward and continuing through Sunday morning.
Most areas will see only a coating of snow, around 1-2 inches, according to NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologists. However, higher accmulations are possible in counties to the south and east as well as parts of Northwest Indiana.
If you'll be out and about, allow for extra time due to the possibility of slick roads.
Temperatures through Sunday are expected to hover in the mid-30s, with lows dropping into the 20s overnight.
Much uncertainty remains about the second "ever-evolving" system.
Earlier this week, the European Model showed estimations of between 6 and 8 inches of accumulation. The Global Model, however, has fluctuated significantly, with latest estimates showing only 3 inches. The National Weather Service reported the chance for a wet, rain-snow mix was increasing, but that it was still too early to predict.
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In a tweet on Friday afternoon, the NWS said a "dynamic" system will likely bring one round of precipitation Monday night through Tuesday morning and a second one on Tuesday afternoon.
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Heavy, wet snow, along with a rainy mixture, is possible. However, the track of the storm is uncertain, so it's unclear where accumulations may be the greatest.
After that, it'll likely continue to feel like winter -- at least for a while.
Temperatures will sit in the 30s throughout the beginning of next week, but highs are poised to drop to the mid-20s by the time the weekend rolls around.
According to NBC 5 Storm Team Iisha Scott, signs are pointing to colder conditions and below-normal temperatures as we head toward the end of January. It will definitely begin to feel chiller as a more winter-like weather pattern develops, Scott said.
A cold air mass is moving across the polar region and heading toward the U.S., where it is expected to reach the Midwest sometime next week, according to the National Weather Service in St. Louis. Where the cold air will go - or when - remains uncertain, but the chances for colder temperatures later in January go up "substantially," forecasters said.
The widespread air outbreak will likely bring much-below-average temperatures and wind chills to the western two-thirds of the country, including Indiana and Illinois, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center.
