Chicago will get its first dose of wintry weather this week, with wind-blown snow potentially causing travel issues in coming hours.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, those wind gusts could reach speeds of 40 miles per hour or more, dropping temperatures and potentially causing visibility challenges on area roadways.
Heavy snow at times could also cause issues on roadways, making for slick conditions to go along with the gusty winds.
Snow is expected to start developing on Wednesday evening, moving west-to-east across the area. According to officials, there could be reduced visibility at times because of the snow, with a coating possible on grassy and elevated areas.
The heavier snow isn’t expected to arrive until later on Thursday morning, with heavy bursts of wet snow potentially causing accumulations on roadways. Winds will also continue to be gusty, adding additional headaches for motorists and commuters.
According to the latest estimates from the NBC 5 Storm Team, anywhere from 1-to-3 inches of accumulation are possible before the storm system starts to move out of the area, but how much will actually stick to the ground remains to be seen.
The heaviest accumulations could occur in areas south of Interstate 80 and into northwest Indiana, as snowfall is expected to continue into the late morning and even Thursday afternoon in those locations.
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Warm ground conditions could impact how much snow actually sticks, but warming temperatures will also play a role, as the snow will slowly transition to rain across the area once temperatures get above freezing.
Once that snow begins to move out of the area, the Chicago area can expect to see mostly dry conditions into the weekend, with temperatures in the 40s expected, according to forecast models.
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