Wind chill warnings remain in place for the Chicago area through noon Tuesday, but there is some good news on the horizon when it comes to how cold it will feel for residents.
According to a chart published by the National Weather Service, the “feels like” temperature in some locations could rise by as much as 30 degrees within a 36-hour period, providing some brief relief from the bitter cold of recent days.
For example, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport could see windchills around negative-30 degrees at midnight Tuesday. By noon Wednesday, the wind chills is expected to be near zero, a warm-up of 27 degrees in a 36-hour span.
DeKalb will see an even bigger swing, with a negative-42 degree wind chill forecasted at midnight Tuesday. By noon Wednesday, that “feels-like” temperature is expected to hit minus-5, a 37-degree difference.
Wind chills are expected to climb above zero in numerous suburbs, including Kankakee, Valparaiso and Joliet, among others.
The relief will be short-lived, with wind chills dipping back below zero by Thursday night and into Friday morning, but real relief will arrive early next week, with highs racing back into the 30s and even the 40s, according to extended forecast models.
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