Editor's Note: The latest winter storm watch story can be found here. Our original story continues below.
A winter storm watch has been issued for the entire Chicago area, with wind gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour and heavy snow possible as the weekend approaches.
According to the National Weather Service, that watch will go into effect in DeKalb, LaSalle, Kendall and Grundy counties on Thursday night. McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Cook, Will, and Kankakee counties in Illinois, as well as Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, will go under the watch on Friday morning.
All counties will be under the watch until Saturday morning, according to NWS officials.
The main threats with the storm will be snow accumulations, which could exceed six inches in some locations.
The other threat will be the wind, with ferocious wind gusts in excess of 40-to-50 miles per hour causing blowing snow and “blizzard conditions” in some locations, according to NWS officials.
Travel is expected to be dangerous at times during the storm, with the brunt of the bad weather arriving Friday night and sticking around into Saturday morning.
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The snow could impact commutes on both Friday morning and Friday evening, though areas closer to Lake Michigan could see rain to start with early in the day.
After the storm departs from the area, a bitter Arctic air mass is expected to park itself over the upper Midwest, leading to high temperatures in the single digits and sub-zero wind chills by Sunday.
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Those temps could last for several days, leading officials to encourage residents to be prepared for a prolonged period of below-average readings.
