It’s going to get very cold and very windy in Chicagoland over the next 24 to 48 hours or so.
Winds gusting up to 45 miles per hour and wind chills well below zero will hit the area by Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with wind-chill values from minus-5 to minus-15 degrees early Thursday.
It’s not quite that cold early Wednesday morning, with temperatures ranging in the 20s around the area. But winds are already sustained up to around 20 miles per hour, creating wind chills in the teens.
The winds will only pick up as Wednesday continues, with Chicagoland under a Wind Advisory from 2 p.m. Wednesday until midnight Thursday.
There’s also a chance for scattered rain/snow showers beginning around 2 or 3 p.m. Wednesday, which means visibility could be low by Wednesday evening due to gusty snow showers.
The lowest wind-chill values are projected to be on Thursday morning. They’ll increase a little by Thursday afternoon but will still likely be in the single digits by Friday morning, as the bitter cold grips Chicagoland through the end of this week.
However, warming temps are on the way this weekend, with highs approaching the upper 40s again by Sunday and into next week.
Forecast
TODAY: Mostly cloudy with afternoon rain/snow, windy, WNW at 15-25 mph, gusts to 45. High 37.
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy, scattered snow and flurries, windy, WNW at 20-25 mph, gusts to 45. Low 12.
TOMORROW: Mostly sunny, cold, windy, NW at 10-20 mph, gusts to 35. High 27.
