HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK: Wintry Mix To Hit Chicago Area Sunday Night, Early Monday

A wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet is expected to hit the Chicago area Sunday night, but the rest of the weekend should be dry with seasonable temps.

Meanwhile, a major ice storm that is expected to stretch from Texas to Indiana Friday night is not expected to hit the Chicago area. Meteorologist Tom Skilling said Friday’s freezing rain will hit south and central Illinois but will not make it all the way to the city of Chicago, according to a Chicago Tribune report. The chance for a wintry mix will start tonight over east central Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Most of the weekend will be dry with seasonable temps -- with cloudy skies and highs between 31 and 33 degrees on Saturday and perhaps a peak of sun on Sunday with highs between 30 and 36 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

The threat for a wintry mix of precipitation, including accumulating freezing rain and sleet, throughout the Chicago area could come Sunday night and continue into Monday morning. A hazardous weather outlook issued for the Chicago area calls for an “elevated ice accumulation risk” during that time frame.

The freezing rain and sleet could continue Monday morning before temps inch above the freezing mark. High temps between 37 and 44 degrees are in the forecast for Monday, and then high temps could jump into the upper 40s and lower 50s on Tuesday.

Here is a more detailed look at the forecast for the coming days:

• Friday: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 20s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
• Friday night: Cloudy. Temperatures nearly steady in the lower 20s. East winds 10 to 15 mph.
• Saturday: Cloudy. Highs in the lower 30s. East winds 5 to 10 mph in the morning shifting to the northwest in the afternoon.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s. North winds around 5 mph.
• Sunday: Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph in the morning becoming east in the afternoon.
• Sunday Night: Cloudy. Chance of light snow in the evening... Then a chance of freezing rain...snow or sleet after midnight. Lows in the upper 20s. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Rain or freezing rain likely in the morning...then rain showers likely in the afternoon. Highs around 40. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
• Monday Night: Showers. Lows around 40. Then temperatures becoming steady or slowly rising. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
• Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of light showers. Highs in the upper 40s.

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