Cloudy skies and several inches of snow are possible in the northern parts of the Chicago area Saturday, as the approaching system comes with a sharp cutoff in terms of receiving rain or snow.
A winter weather advisory was issued on Friday by the National Weather Service in Chicago for the following counties:
- North and central Cook County
- DuPage County
- DeKalb County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- McHenry County
The advisory will take effect at 9 a.m. on Saturday, remaining in effect until 3 a.m. on Sunday, as snowfall is expected to begin in the mid-morning and carry through the evening and into overnight hours.
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According to NWS Chicago, the sharp cutoff for rain and snow is likely to be around I-88, with several inches of snow more likely in Lake and McHenry counties.
Snowfall totals will likely approach six inches near the Wisconsin border, with southern counties not included in the advisory possibly seeing one inch or less, with the possibility of freezing rain.
Local
Ice accumulation of up to 0.15 inches is possible in the far southwest parts of the Chicago area, particularly near Ottawa, Morris and Pontiac.
According to NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist Brant Miller, snowfall totals around the area are dependent on where the center of low pressure tracks in the system approaching the Chicago area on Saturday.
If the low pressure center tracks further north, precipitation could be primarily rain for much of the Chicago area, particularly in areas near I-88 where snowfall totals are more uncertain.
A widespread snowfall event is more likely if the low pressure center tracks south, and could offer up to nearly five inches of snow at O'Hare International Airport by Sunday morning in a "worst-case scenario."
Even in the Global High-Res Atmospheric Forecast that projects nearly five inches of snow at O'Hare, snowfall totals dramatically drop off south of I-88, with suburban Romeoville and Plainfield receiving less than an inch of snow.
However, impacted travel conditions are expected throughout the entire Chicago area, with snowfall and visibility issues affecting the northern counties and the possibility of freezing rain and ice accumulation affecting the far south and southwest suburbs.
Temperatures are likely to hover just below freezing in Chicago on Saturday, with highs reaching the upper-20s to low-30s.
Snowfall is expected to carry into the early morning hours on Sunday before a cloudy day is likely to take shape, with temperatures in the mid-20s anticipated before bitter cold temperatures move into the Chicago area to start the week.
