It hasn’t been the snowiest of winters in the Chicago area, but the area will see several chances of wintry precipitation in coming days, starting with a system that’s sparked a winter weather advisory for large swaths of the area.
That advisory will take effect at 3 p.m. Thursday in McHenry, DeKalb and Kane counties, and run through 7 a.m. Friday. In Lake and DuPage counties, as well as northern and central Cook County, the advisory will take effect at 6 p.m. Thursday and run through 10 a.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
The main threat with the initial system will come in the form of snow, which should start arriving in the later stages of the afternoon commute.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, some of the snow might not stick to roadways at first, but as snowfall rates become heavier, travel could become more hazardous in the evening hours, especially in communities north of Interstate 88.
That snow will likely stick around through early Friday morning, with some scattered snow showers still possible at that time.
In all, the heaviest accumulations are expected in areas around the Wisconsin-Illinois border, with nearly six inches of snow possible in some locations.
Other areas will see 2-to-5 inches of snow from the system, while areas south of Interstate 80 will likely see mostly rain, and only minor snow accumulations by the time the storm moves out of the area.
Local
All told, this will not be the only snow threat the area will face this weekend. More snow could potentially arrive early Sunday, affecting the area for most of the day and into the morning hours of Monday.
Mixed-precipitation will likely be the main threat in southern areas, but areas further to the north could potentially see some additional accumulations, according to forecast models.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
According to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Pete Sack, the city of Chicago typically sees around five inches of snow during the month of March, but all told between the multiple weather systems, O’Hare International Airport could potentially come close to matching that within a matter of days.
Cool temperatures in the upper-30s and low-40s are expected to persist as well, giving the area a below-average chill as the start of spring looms in the middle of the month.
