More Chicago-area counties have been added to a winter weather advisory starting Tuesday evening as forecasters warn of the potential for several inches of snow.
The alert was initially set to begin at 8 p.m. in Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois and remain in effect through 6 a.m. Wednesday. A second advisory was issued for Kenosha County beginning at 9 p.m. and continuing through 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
But just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, a new advisory was issued for DeKalb, Kane, DuPage and northern and central Cook counties, beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday and continuing through 8 a.m. Wednesday.
“Be prepared for hazardous travel due to snow covered roads. The slippery conditions may also impact part of the Wednesday morning commute,” the alert states.
Snow accumulations of between 2 and 5 inches are possible, with the highest totals expected near the Wisconsin-Illinois state line.
For Lake and McHenry counties, “a heavier snow band is expected to develop.”
“If a long enough period of heavier rates occurs, localized snowfall amounts may reach upwards of 5 inches,” the advisory warns.
For the remaining counties, anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of snow is possible, with the highest snowfall amounts expected to occur “near and north of Interstate 88 and 290, with amounts tapering down to two inches or less with southward extent in the advisory area.”
“There’s some potential for a heavier snow band to set up in northern portions of the counties, and if this occurs, localized snowfall amounts may reach upwards of 4 inches,” the advisory states.
Snow is expected to come to an end Wednesday morning.
According to the National Weather Service, the hazardous travel conditions will be possible from late evening Tuesday through early Wednesday before another front moves in, bringing more snow showers and gusty winds that could cause additional blowing and drifting snow through Wednesday evening.
The second round is expected to begin around 5 p.m. Wednesday, starting in counties to the west.
“Just in time for the afternoon and evening commutes,” Roman said. According to the National Weather Service, the snow could be paired with winds up to 35 mph.
Dangerous cold then returns later in the week.
Temperatures Friday morning will be below zero, Roman warned, with “feels-like” temperatures as low as -35 degrees. In counties to the north and west, wind chills between -35 and -40 were possible.
Saturday, temperatures will remain in the single digits, Roman said, with highs moving into the teens by Sunday.
