Chicago Weather

Another wave of accumulating snow, dangerous travel still to come Friday

Areas north and northwest of Chicago are likely to see the biggest impacts, with up to 6 inches of additional accumulation still possible, combined with dangerous wind gusts of up to 45 mph

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Editor's Note: We're keeping track of live storm updates, including the latest on road conditions and snow totals here.

While a snowstorm wreaked havoc across the Chicago area Friday morning, a second wave is still expected to hit for many, with more snowfall accumulations and the potential for even blizzard-like conditions for some.

The morning round brought more than 6 inches of snow to some locations and led to major travel issues and tens of thousands of power outages across the region.

The bulk of the snowfall began to subside later Friday morning, with some locations seeing a transition from snow to rain.

But another round of rain and snow is expected to move in for the afternoon and evening.

With that round, areas north and northwest of Chicago are likely to see the biggest impacts, with up to 6 inches of additional accumulation still possible, combined with dangerous wind gusts of up to 45 mph.

Several counties remain under a winter storm warning through Saturday, including McHenry, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Lake, and northern and central Cook counties. The warning remains in effect until noon Saturday and warns of 3 to 5 inches of additional accumulation expected.

The largest snowfall totals are expected to fall after 5 p.m. and into the overnight hours as temperatures continue to drop.

The conditions could again make travel dangerous across the area, regardless of snow totals, with high winds likely leading to blowing snow and dropping temperatures potentially making for icy roads in some spots.

The NWS warned travelers to expect "downright dangerous travel conditions" across much of the area, especially in Northern Illinois during the morning and evening commutes, but later forecasts indicated timing has shifted slightly.

The biggest travel threat now sits late Friday evening and overnight into Saturday morning.

A winter weather advisory takes effect at 9 p.m. for Kankakee, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, southern Cook and Will counties in Illinois are also under a winter weather advisory. The advisory begins for Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties in northwest Indiana at 11 p.m., however.

Winds are expected to pick up between 10 p.m. and midnight. Depending on the snowfall rates, blizzard-like conditions are possible as higher wind gusts kick in.

MORE: School closures: More than 100 Chicago-area schools, libraries closed amid winter storm

The entire Chicago area was under a winter storm warning Friday, with some counties already seeing heavy and wet “bursts” of snow as a powerful winter snowstorm began to take hold across all of Northeastern Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

Snow is expected to taper Saturday morning as even colder air moves in.

Wind chills will drop to -20 and -30 degrees Sunday through Wednesday, with 20-30 mph wind gusts expected. These temperatures will mark the coldest days seen in the city since the end of January 2019.

Latest information on the Chicago snowstorm

You can find our latest stories on the Chicago snowstorm below:

The NBC 5 Storm Team is tracking this forecast as it develops. Stay tuned for updates as each system approaches.

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