Sunday dawned with sunshine across much of the Chicagoland area, however, the area now prepares for yet another blast of wintry weather.
After the Chicago area hits a high of 15 degrees on Sunday, a weather system is set to move in.
Beginning at 9 p.m. Sunday, a Winter Storm Warning will go into effect in Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois, as well as Kenosha County in Wisconsin. Heavy snow will begin to fall late Sunday in those areas, with up to 9 inches possible in some northern areas.
Further south, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for counties surrounding Chicago, including DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Grundy, Kendall, and Will counties in Illinois. Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties in Indiana are also under the advisory.
The advisory in DeKalb and LaSalle counties was scheduled to go into effect beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday, and will last until 6 p.m. Monday. All other counties in the Advisory area are set to begin at 9 p.m. Sunday.
Some northern areas could see three to six inches of snow, while areas further south could see a mix of precipitation that could create icy road conditions for travellers during the morning and evening commutes.
Even after that weather system moves out of the area, residents will have to deal with a different threat: bitter cold. Temperatures will plunge on Tuesday and into Wednesday, with wind chills potentially dropping to 35 to 50 degrees below zero in some locations.
In fact, Wednesday has the potential to be one of the coldest days in Chicago history, as NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Pete Sack’s forecast calls for a high temperature of -8.
The lowest high temperature in Chicago history came in January 1994, when the mercury only rose to -11.
After a sunny start to the day, cloud cover will begin to build into the area in the early evening hours with a Winter Weather Advisory issued for DeKalb and LaSalle counties from 6 p.m. Sunday and for Kane, DuPage, Cook, Grundy, Kendall, and Will counties in Illinois; Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties in Indiana starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, all in effect until 6 p.m. Monday. In addition, beginning at 9 p.m. Sunday, a Winter Storm Warning will go into effect in Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois, as well as Kenosha County in Wisconsin. Heavy snow will begin to fall late Sunday in those areas, with up to 9 inches possible in some areas.
Snow is expected to begin falling in the northwest suburbs and in areas west of Chicago around 10 or 11 p.m., building into the city itself around midnight.
As the overnight hours continue and as dawn breaks, heavy snow is expected to fall in the northern suburbs, while areas south of Chicago could see a mix of rain and snow.
Areas north of Chicago could see up to nine inches of snow while areas south of the city, and especially south of I-80, will likely see accumulations of only one to three inches.
As the afternoon wears on, the storm system will begin to move out of the area, but snow is still possible in Chicago and areas south and east of the city. All warnings and advisories currently in effect set to end at 6 p.m. Monday.
As the snow moves out, extremely cold air will move into the region, giving the area the potential for dangerously low wind chills on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
In terms of potential snowfall amounts, the North American model suggests that the Chicago area could see three to four inches, while the northwest suburbs and areas of northern Illinois will get between six and eight inches.
Behind the storm system, a blast of cold air from the North Pole will filter into the Chicago area on Tuesday.
Daytime highs (yes, highs) on Wednesday are expected to fall anywhere between five and ten degrees below zero, with wind chills forecasted to drop as low as 30 to 45 degrees below zero.
Those low temperatures will stick around the area on Thursday, as the Chicago-area could once again see the mercury fail to rise into positive digits.
In the extended forecast, there is some light at the end of the tunnel, as temperatures could rise back to normal levels by next weekend.
The coldest high temperature on January 30 in Chicago history is three degrees above zero, so the area could smash several cold-related records in the coming days.
For all the latest details and weather alerts, be sure to download the NBC Chicago app, and stay tuned to NBC 5 for the latest forecasts.
