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Dangerous Cold Hits Northern Illinois Tonight: Wind-Chill Advisory

Blustery northwest winds and a blast of arctic air will send us into a freeze tonight and tomorrow. A look at the days ahead.

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Dangerously cold wind chills forecast for late tonight and Saturday morning have prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Wind Chill Advisory, in effect from midnight until 9 a.m. Saturday.

A blast of bitter cold arctic air will spread across the area later today behind a cold front. Temperatures will fall to 0° to 5° below west and north of Chicago overnight, and to 0° to 5° above south and east of Chicago.

Combined with blustery northwest winds 10 to 20 mph, this will produce dangerously cold wind chills as low as 20° below across portions of northern Illinois roughly along and north of Interstate 88, and around 15° below along and south of the Interstate 80 corridor.

Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

After a chilly day on Saturday with highs only 10° to 15°, temperatures will moderate a bit into the lower 20s on Sunday, but with a chance of accumulating snow.

Several inches of accumulation, perhaps 2 to 5 inches, are expected, with blustery south winds likely causing some blowing and drifting and making travel a bit difficult. Snow will continue into early Sunday evening before tapering off.

Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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The Days Ahead

  • Today: Snow, mainly before noon. Temperature rising to near 23 by noon, then falling to around 17 during the remainder of the day. Wind chill values as low as -1. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
  • Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 3. Wind chill values as low as -20. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
  • Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 14. Wind chill values as low as -20. West northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
  • Saturday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 7. Wind chill values as low as -3. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south after midnight.
  • Sunday: Snow. High near 22. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.
  • Sunday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 21. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.
  • Presidents Day: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35.

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