Chicago Weather

Chicago Area to See Widespread Snow and Low Visibility, ‘Peak' Snowfall Through Morning

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Hello, snow. Welcome back.

Chicago's snow deficit of nearly one foot changed overnight as a wintery system from southwest Illinois moved in, bringing with it widespread and blustery snow showers, low visibility and steady, heavy flakes.

A winter weather advisory now covering the entire region is in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday, an alert from the National Weather Service says. And while the advisory will stretch into the evening, the snow's strongest, steadiest impact will be Wednesday morning, creating conditions ripe for a slick, slippery and snarled morning commute, the NBC 5 Storm Team says.

NBC 5 Traffic reporter Kye Martin reports the slush and snow has already led to number of crashes and slide offs in counties across the area. In Lake County, officials have closed northbound Butterfield Road in Libertyville at Route 176 due to a slide-off from the slick and slippery conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, Wednesday morning commuters can expect "widespread hazardous travel conditions due to snow-covered roads and low visibilities."

Snow covers the road in Mount Prospect, Illinois on Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023
Snow covers the road in Mount Prospect, Illinois on Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023

As of 5 a.m., latest forecast models show visibility under a mile at O'Hare International Airport, and just under two miles near Waukegan.

You can keep track of Illinois road conditions here.

"Peak" Snowfall Through Morning Commute

The snow will be steadiest and heaviest through the morning commute, the NBC 5 Storm Team says, continuing until around noon. During those hours, forecast models show between two to four inches of accumulation across the Chicago area is expected, with higher totals in Northwest Indiana.

According to the NWS, "peak snowfall rates" are expected through 10 a.m.

While snow showers in Lake, DuPage and Cook counties are expected to taper by Wednesday afternoon, light and scattered lake effect showers are expected to continue through the evening and into Thursday, particularly in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties in Indiana.

According to forecast models, by Thursday evening, those additional snow showers could bump accumulation up to between three and four inches.

Temperatures Wednesday and Thursday, the NBC 5 Storm Team says, are expected to hover in the low-to-mid 30s, but dropping as the week continues.

Snow in the Weekend Forecast

A quick, second system is expected to blow through Illinois and Indiana on Friday, with some mixed precipitation and additional snow possible, according to forecast models.

While accumulations likely won’t amount to much, more will be arriving behind it as the weekend continues.

Saturday, another system is predicted to push snow into northern Illinois, the NBC 5 Storm Team says, hitting areas to the west and north of Chicago harder than Wednesday’s system likely will.

That snow will likely stick around through the afternoon hours on Sunday, bringing additional accumulations and causing more travel concerns on area roadways.

How Much Snow Could Chicago See?

Wednesday into Thursday, the biggest accumulations of snow will likely occur around Lake Michigan and in northern Indiana, with two to four inches of snow possible in parts of Cook, DuPage, Kendall, Will, Kankakee and Grundy counties in Illinois.

In northern Lake county in Illinois, those totals may be a bit lower, forecast models show. In Lake, Porter, Newtown and Jasper counties in Indiana, however, those totals are likely to be higher, with four to five inches of accumulation possible.

Saturday and Sunday, snow is expected to bring a heavier impact on Chicago's northern and western suburbs, but the track of the storm could potentially change in coming days as more data comes into the NBC 5 Storm Team’s forecasts.

As things stand now, forecast models show an additional two to four inches of snow could be tacked on by Sunday evening, with the heaviest accumulations likely north of Interstate 80.

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