The weather forecast isn't doing Chicago any favors ahead of a busy weekend.
Though the area likely will miss a brutal ice storm headed for the Midwest, we could see six inches of snow by Sunday night.
Models show the first batch moving in overnight Friday and leaving behind about an inch of accumulation. Light snow ends early before the second round is expected to appear just as the Stadium Series hockey game begins Saturday evening at Soldier Field featuring the Blackhawks and Penguins.
Temperatures will fall to around 18 degrees by 5 p.m. with winds gusting to 10 to 15 mph. Nighttime wind chill values could dip as low as zero.
Steadier light snow is forecast to increase to moderate snowfall overnight into Sunday morning before tapering off later in the day with between 3 and 6 inches falling.
That means Jimmy Fallon's first Polar Plunge will be a snowy, chilly affair. Highs are only expected to reach the teens to low 20s, quite a difference from last year's above-freezing conditions.
Some models show snow continuing through Sunday night and leaving more snow in the metro area and southern counties.
Until then, breezy Friday conditions warm up temperatures to the mid-20s. The day is expected to remain dry before the first wave of snow starts after midnight.
Next week remains in the low 20s until Thursday, when the extended forecast predicts highs in the mid-30s.
