Chicago Weather

What to expect and when as ‘prolonged' period of freezing rain, sleet moves into Chicago area

The Chicago area this week will see a 'prolonged of freezing rain or even sleet," the NBC 5 Storm Team said, of a wintry system headed to Northeastern Illinois

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Editor's Note: The latest weather story for Tuesday, Feb. 4 can be found here. Our original story continues below.

Monday started out mild in the Chicago area, with above-average temperatures nearing 60 degrees in some spots. But by midweek, a wintry system potentially bringing freezing rain, sleet and the chance for icy accumulations, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.

According to Roman, Monday and Tuesday were expected to remain dry, with increasing clouds. The Wednesday morning commute also remains dry, Roman said, but the rest of the day won't stay that way.

"By Wednesday afternoon, we're going to start seeing some changes moving in," Roman said.

The 'significant' system will move into the area from the south around 3 p.m., Roman said. By around 5 p.m. Wednesday, the area will see a "prolonged period of freezing rain or even sleet" Wednesday night, potentially impacting afternoon and evening commute.

"We definitely have that chance of seeing some icy accumulations heading into Wednesday night," Roman warned.

Still, the exact track and strength of the system remained uncertain as of Monday afternoon, with the latest predictions from the National Weather Service saying the highest chance for ice accumulations Wednesday of 0.1 inches or greater is for areas near and north of I-80.

"While it’s still too early to confidently narrow down the specifics with this system, including the magnitude of impacts, at least some winter weather impacts are likely for many locations," the NWS said.

Following Monday's warm-up, temperatures are expected to drop as the week continues, Roman said, with below-average temperatures through mid-February. Still, Wednesday's highs in the 30s could result in more rain than icy.

"We're going to have to keep an eye on this system, Roman said. "If it gets a little warmer, that changes it to rain. If it gets a little colder, then it changes to snow."

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