Just weeks after a warmer-than-usual Christmas, Chicagoans must brace for brutally cold temperatures with wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero likely next week.
But even before that, some parts of the area may be hit with several inches of snow Friday into Saturday.
Monday and Tuesday are expected to be the coldest days of the week with highs in the single digits and wind chills expected to range from minus 15 to minus 20 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
“Conditions aren’t really gonna warm up much during the day,” said Kevin Doom, a meteorologist with the weather service.
With a high of 9 degrees expected, Sunday is on pace to be the first time the high fails to reach double digits since Dec. 23, 2022, according to Doom. The high that day was minus 1 degree.
The city endured similar wind chills last February.
The stretch of bitter cold was expected to arrive with wind chills around zero degrees Saturday into Saturday night, Doom said.
“It’s just a big ol’ ball of cold air that’s just gonna take over the whole Midwest,” Doom said. “In terms of Chicagoland, it’s all gonna be pretty uniform.”
The colder air is coming from a jet stream that’s moving south through the Midwest and is expected to remain throughout the week, Doom said.
“When we see these big cold snaps, it almost always just has to do with the fact that there’s a really strong jet stream that’s taking a trip to our south, which allows a lot of cold air to infiltrate from the north,” Doom said.
But first, some parts of the Chicago area may see over 6 inches of snowfall Friday morning into Saturday, with parts of the city closer to Lake Michigan seeing 4 to 5 inches, according to the weather service. The projected snowfall totals are “still very subject to change,” Doom added.
A winter storm watch was issued by the weather service Wednesday afternoon for parts of Northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana Friday morning into Saturday morning, when the cold air is expected to arrive.
Snow was expected to start falling Thursday night, with heavier snow north of Interstate 80 expected around 6 a.m. Friday, the weather service said.
Wind gusts as high as 45 to 50 miles per hour will possibly create periods of blizzard conditions Friday evening into early Saturday, the weather service said.
Heavy snow is expected to taper off Saturday afternoon with snow showers continuing into Saturday evening.
The rest of next week looks free of snow as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Doom.
Cook County Animal and Rabies Control urged anyone with pets to bring them inside during sub-zero weather.
Walks with dogs or cats should not exceed more than 10 minutes and owners should wash their pets’ footpads with a warm, moist towel afterward, according to the county agency.
Doom said anyone traveling during the cold stretch should carry blankets, phone chargers, hand warmers and other winter essentials in their car.
Skin exposed to the projected wind chills early next week can develop frostbite in 10 to 15 minutes, according to the weather service.
Highs are expected to return to the 20s and 30s after next weekend, Doom said.
The average high in Chicago in the third week of January — when the cold stretch is expected to hit — is 31 degrees.
“Make sure you’re covering up as much of your body and protecting it from the wind as possible,” Doom said. “Frostbite and hypothermia are definitely very real concerns.”
