Chicago weather could bring snow, freezing temps, National Weather Service says

Chicagoans getting used to the unseasonably mild weather should prepare to bundle up.

The area could see rain turning to snow Friday evening as temperatures drop below freezing, according to Todd Kluber, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., rain is expected to change to snow, with accumulation of half an inch to an inch in most areas. The snowfall could continue overnight, with Saturday’s temperatures in the mid-30s.

“It’s going to feel much colder compared to what we’ve been seeing here,” Kluber said.

The colder temperatures come days after Wednesday’s high of 63 degrees made it the warmest day so far this month. The warmer conditions in Chicago have matched the weather service’s outlook, predicting a milder winter, due in part to El Niño — an episodic warming of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures that affects global weather patterns.

Drivers should be aware of slippery conditions Friday night as roads ice up.

The cold stretch will be short-lived, with Sunday seeing temperatures back in the 50s, Kluber said, melting any snow, and Monday and Tuesday seeing temperatures in the 60s before a cold front is expected to bring temperatures back into the 40s on Wednesday.

A man rides his bike along the sidewalk on North Broadway Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood as snow showers dust Chicago, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times