Editor's Note: The latest forecast story for Friday, January 19 can be found here. By 9 a.m., 18 inches of snow had already fallen in parts of Indiana. Our original story continues below.
The Chicago area is going to see more snow over the next two days, but northwest Indiana will be hit especially hard, with an eye-popping 12-to-18 inches of snow possible in some locations.
According to the National Weather Service, winter storm warnings have been issued in both Porter and LaPorte counties beginning on Thursday night and into Friday.
In LaPorte County, lake-effect snow could drive accumulations into some astounding territory, with 12-to-18 inches of snow possible northern parts of the county.
Elsewhere, anywhere from 6-to-12 inches of snow could fall by the end of the day Friday, with snowfall rates of 2-to-3 inches per hour possible in some spots.
That rapid snowfall, coupled with wind gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour, could create whiteout conditions Thursday night and into Friday, with the National Weather Service saying that “unnecessary travel should be avoided” during that time period.
Portions of Porter County near Lake Michigan could see 8-to-12 inches of snow because of the storm, with 2-to-4 inches of snow possible in some southern parts of the county.
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Gusty winds could also cause serious travel hazards throughout the county, with wind gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour.
While other parts of the Chicago area won’t see the lake-effect snow that northwest Indiana will receive, there will still be opportunities for snow in coming days, which could cause travel issues beginning with the evening commute Thursday.
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A winter weather advisory was issued for McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties, along with Lake, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana.
That advisory will run from 6 p.m. Thursday to noon Friday, with hazardous travel conditions and blowing and drifting snow possible during the Friday morning commute.
More scattered snow showers could develop Friday afternoon, leading to travel impacts during the evening commute as well.
Snowfall accumulations of 2-to-4 inches are possible in the impacted areas, with snowfall likely beginning as the sun sets on Thursday.
The wind will also cause wind chills to plummet, with some locations potentially seeing “feels-like” temperatures of 20 degrees below zero at times.
There will be some relief in coming days, as warmer temperatures will likely start to take hold Sunday and into Monday, with highs rising above the freezing mark for the start of the new work week.
Those warmer temps will likely be accompanied by some mixed precipitation on Tuesday, which will transition into rain across the area.
Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather details.
