After yet another round of overnight snow, Chicago-area residents may be in the clear on the worst of the precipitation while the worst of the cold is only beginning.
Lingering light snowfall is still falling across the area on Saturday morning, with heavy winds contributing to blowing snow at times, causing treacherous travel conditions.
Temperatures will drop throughout the day, bringing potentially the coldest air of the past five years with the arctic air expected to stick around for several days.
A wind chill advisory will take effect across the Chicago area beginning at 12 a.m. Sunday, as bone-chilling temperatures make any prolonged time spent outdoors potentially dangerous.
Extremely cold air will move in beginning Saturday, so you'll want to make sure any shoveling is finished before then.
Weather
Dangerous wind chill values are expected starting in the evening hours as temperatures plummet by around 20 degrees. Windy conditions and cold temperatures will lead to wind chill values between 15 and 30 degrees below zero, meteorologists said.
The abrupt change comes after a historically mild start to the winter.
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The upcoming freezing conditions will persist for several days and won't let up until sometime next week, according to the National Weather Service.
The most frigid values of around negative 30 degrees will arrive Saturday night and return at various points, including the daytime hours on Sunday, Monday night and Tuesday. The National Weather Service, in a post on the social media platform X, urged residents to remember to bundle up, explaining wind chills can result in frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 15 to 30 minutes.
The dangerous cold will bring another concern: the possibility of ice jams.
Ice is expected to rapidly form on almost all Chicago-area rivers by early next week, leading to potential ice jams, according to the NWS. Ice jams can lead to water level fluctuations and a significant rise in water with little warning.
Come Wednesday, a warm-up of sorts will arrive, though it won't be anything like the unseasonable temperatures experienced in recent weeks. Temperatures will climb into the double digits, with a high of around 18 degrees expected during the day.
Snow could make a return soon after that, with multiple chances beginning Wednesday night and continuing through Thursday. By then, feels-like temperatures will hover just below 20 degrees.
With the extreme cold in the area, the city of Chicago operates several warming centers, with the following locations open:
Englewood Community Service Center
1140 West 79th Street, Chicago, IL 60620
312-747-0200
Garfield Community Service Center
10 South Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612
312-746-5400
Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center
4314 South Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL 60653
312-747-2300
North Area Community Service Center
845 West Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640
312-744-2580
South Chicago Community Service Center
8650 South Commercial Avenue, Chicago, IL 60617
312-747-0500
Trina Davila Community Service Center
4312 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60639
312-744-2014
The Garfield Community Service Center operates as a 24-hour facility.
