A winter storm warning and a winter weather advisory will both take effect Friday afternoon across the Chicago area, with snow, mixed precipitation and rain threatening to snarl the evening commute.
The hardest-hit areas will likely be parts of Illinois well south of Chicago, as well as parts of northwest Indiana, as a band of heavy snow will descend on that area, dumping as much as three inches of snow per hour at times.
Here are the latest updates on the timing of Friday’s storm system.
Late-Morning to Early-Afternoon
Precipitation will start to build into the area after the morning commute wraps up, with mixed precipitation or rain possible, depending on temperatures.
Areas further to the north could potentially see light snow, but more likely will see mixed precipitation at this point in the storm.
Local
At noon, a winter storm warning will go into effect in eastern Will County and Kankakee County, as well as in all of northwest Indiana, including Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties.
A winter weather advisory will also take effect in DuPage, LaSalle, Kendall and Grundy counties, as well as central and southern Cook County, and northern and southern Will County.
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As the noon hour hits, a band of snow is expected to drive into the southern portions of the NBC 5 viewing area. That will provide the bulk of the accumulations Friday, but the snow will start to become a bit more widespread as the day moves along.
Far-southwestern suburbs could still see rain.
Mid-to-Late Afternoon
The worst of the storm will likely occur right as the evening commute begins, with snowfall rates of 2-to-3 inches per hour possible by 4 p.m. This is especially likely in areas impacted by the winter storm warning.
Other locations will likely see more of a mixed-precipitation during this time with temperatures rising slightly, and that mixed precipitation will become more widespread as the afternoon goes along.
What’s more, winds will really kick up in the afternoon hours, with gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour at times.
Evening
Snow and other forms of precipitation will slowly diminish as the evening wears on, with most of the weather wrapping up by the mid-evening.
Snowfall accumulation totals will vary by location, with northern and western suburbs potentially seeing 1-to-4 inches. Areas impacted by the winter storm warning will see more, with 4-to-8 inches of snow possible.
Heavier accumulations could occur in localized pockets because of the nature of the system, with northwest Indiana likely bearing the brunt of the storm.
