Chicago weather: 2 rounds of accumulating snow expected this week; ‘many' inches possible

Editor's Note: A winter storm watch has been issued by the National Weather Service as part of the incoming system. Our latest story can be found here.

Two systems are expected to dump snow across the entire Chicago area over the next seven days, NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman said, with "many" inches of snow possible when all is said and done.

The snow comes as Northeastern Illinois faces a major snow deficit, with only 10 inches of snow so far this season, Roman said.

"We should be around 25 inches at this time," Roman said, of how little snowfall the Chicago area has seen this winter.

Monday and Tuesday however would be dry, Roman said, with seasonal highs in the mid-30s. Some parts Tuesday could see a stray flurry, Roman said, with a dusting possible but not accumulating snow.

But Wednesday is a different story.

Snow was expected to begin around 7 a.m. Wednesday, Roman said, with scattered flakes to the north and west. Steadier snow will develop beginning around 10 a.m., Roman said, with "heavy snow at times" through late Wednesday night.

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"Several inches" of snow accumulation is expected, Roman said. The National Weather Service warned the heaviest snow was expected during the Wednesday afternoon commute.

"Impacts to travel are likely," the NWS said.

How much snow could we get?

The exact track of the system and exact snow totals remained uncertain Monday, with forecast models showing a fairly wide range of snow accumulation possible across Northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

"Comparing the four models, we get anywhere between four and eight inches of snow," Roman said.

Roman added that the second system, developing Friday night into Saturday, could dump another four inches of snow across the area.

Temperatures were expected to remain cold through the week, Roman said, with temperatures hovering in the 20s and 30s for much of the week, dropping into the teens at times.