Chicago Weather

Wind Chill Advisory in Effect for Chicago Area

Temperatures will likely remain well below-zero for inland areas early Friday

A Wind Chill Advisory went into effect Thursday night across nearly all of the Chicago area with temperatures potentially plunging as low as 20 degrees below zero.

The advisory was issued for all Chicago-area counties in Illinois, but not in northwest Indiana. It went into effect at 8 p.m. Thursday and continues until 10 a.m. Friday.

Wind chills are expected to drop as low as -15 and -20 degrees, levels that could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

The bitter burst follows a round of snow that left several inches of accumulation in parts of the area.

Early Thursday, temperatures started in the 20s, but those numbers were expected to fall throughout the day, dipping into the teens with wind chills in the single digits. Winds will be gusting between 35 and 40 mph.

An arctic high will settle in early Friday, causing the winds to ease, but temperatures will likely remain well below-zero for inland areas and in the single digits along the lakefront. Wind chill readings will stay between -5 to -20 on average Friday morning.

Highs are expected to climb only into the teens during the day.

The high of 15 degrees Friday will likely mark the second-coldest Valentine's Day on record in Chicago. The coldest was 8 degrees in 1943.

Don't worry, relief is in sight.

Temps are expected to return to the 30s for the weekend.

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