It may be sunny, but temperatures were expected to drop and wind chills rise throughout the day Friday in a last burst of bitter cold capping a week of dangerous weather.
A wind chill advisory was in effect until noon Friday for the entire Chicago area, with wind chills expected to drop to minus-10 to minus-25. We reached our high for the day at 2 a.m. with a reading of 9 degrees at O'Hare International Airport.
Another wind chill advisory goes into effect at 6 p.m. Friday through noon Saturday, with wind chills of minus-20 to minus-30. But the highs on Saturday could reach 16 and the 20s by Sunday.
With winds gusting to 30 mph Friday, blowing snow will continue to be a travel hazard, the weather service said. Three inches of snow was recorded at O'Hare Thursday, bringing the season total to 10.5 inches. Last year, we had 3 times that much snow by now.
The snow hit at the evening rush hour and created white-out conditions on several expressways. More than 500 flights were canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports.
Slick spots were still reported on some highways Friday morning, and there were more than 100 cancellations at Midway and O'Hare.
Dozens of school districts across the Chicago area remained closed for the third straight day Friday. But Chicago Public Schools and many other districts decided to reopen amid the forecasts for single-digit highs and subzero wind chills.
Districts that chose to reopen Friday, along with a handful that reopened Thursday, cited a variety of factors that went beyond meteorology, including the size and flexibility of their district, the number of students who walk to school, and the number of emergency days off they had left to spare in the year.
Several announcements came with a warning and a plea to send students out with hats, coats and gloves, as temperatures Friday were predicted to remain frigid, according to the weather service.
Following is the forecast for the next several days from WGN-TV's Chicago Weather Center.
Friday: Wind chill advisory. A third consecutive day of dangerous wind chills in the minus-15 to minus-25 degree range. Bitterly cold. The high temperature occurs just past midnight in the 13-degree range. Readings fall to 0 to 5 above by morning, then hold steady through the day. West winds 15-25 mph maintain the intense chill. Vigorous lake-effect snow showers in the north central Indiana/southwest lower Michigan snow-belt; heavy accumulations likely. Clear and bitterly cold Friday night. Lows range from -11° far outlying areas to -4 Chicago Lakefront.
Saturday: Bitter, sub-zero temperatures at the start. Generous sun is to be followed by increasing high- and mid-level clouds. While 10 degrees warmer than Friday, readings still 17 degrees below normal.
Sunday: The arctic chill of recent days eases noticeably by afternoon as readings return to far more seasonable levels. Clouds thicken, chance of light snow at night.
Monday: Considerable cloudiness, breezy, modestly colder. Light snow ends early with minor accumulations. Canadian high pressure moves in from the northwest but nothing on par with recent spell of frigid weather.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, breezy, moderately chilly temperatures persist. Northeast to east winds off Lake Michigan may ignite a few flurries in lakeside counties.
Wednesday: A cold start with readings near zero in outlying areas. Canadian high pressure continues to slide east, allowing temperatures to rise to near seasonable levels by afternoon.
Thursday: Partly sunny, breezy and milder by afternoon. Daytime highs may top the freezing mark for the first time in 11 days under freshening southwest winds.
A wind chill advisory was in effect until noon Friday for the entire Chicago area, with wind chills expected to drop to minus-10 to minus-25. We reached our high for the day at 2 a.m. with a reading of 9 degrees at O'Hare International Airport.
Another wind chill advisory goes into effect at 6 p.m. Friday through noon Saturday, with wind chills of minus-20 to minus-30. But the highs on Saturday could reach 16 and the 20s by Sunday.
With winds gusting to 30 mph Friday, blowing snow will continue to be a travel hazard, the weather service said. Three inches of snow was recorded at O'Hare Thursday, bringing the season total to 10.5 inches. Last year, we had 3 times that much snow by now.
The snow hit at the evening rush hour and created white-out conditions on several expressways. More than 500 flights were canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports.
Slick spots were still reported on some highways Friday morning, and there were more than 100 cancellations at Midway and O'Hare.
Dozens of school districts across the Chicago area remained closed for the third straight day Friday. But Chicago Public Schools and many other districts decided to reopen amid the forecasts for single-digit highs and subzero wind chills.
Districts that chose to reopen Friday, along with a handful that reopened Thursday, cited a variety of factors that went beyond meteorology, including the size and flexibility of their district, the number of students who walk to school, and the number of emergency days off they had left to spare in the year.
Several announcements came with a warning and a plea to send students out with hats, coats and gloves, as temperatures Friday were predicted to remain frigid, according to the weather service.
Following is the forecast for the next several days from WGN-TV's Chicago Weather Center.
Friday: Wind chill advisory. A third consecutive day of dangerous wind chills in the minus-15 to minus-25 degree range. Bitterly cold. The high temperature occurs just past midnight in the 13-degree range. Readings fall to 0 to 5 above by morning, then hold steady through the day. West winds 15-25 mph maintain the intense chill. Vigorous lake-effect snow showers in the north central Indiana/southwest lower Michigan snow-belt; heavy accumulations likely. Clear and bitterly cold Friday night. Lows range from -11° far outlying areas to -4 Chicago Lakefront.
Saturday: Bitter, sub-zero temperatures at the start. Generous sun is to be followed by increasing high- and mid-level clouds. While 10 degrees warmer than Friday, readings still 17 degrees below normal.
Sunday: The arctic chill of recent days eases noticeably by afternoon as readings return to far more seasonable levels. Clouds thicken, chance of light snow at night.
Monday: Considerable cloudiness, breezy, modestly colder. Light snow ends early with minor accumulations. Canadian high pressure moves in from the northwest but nothing on par with recent spell of frigid weather.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, breezy, moderately chilly temperatures persist. Northeast to east winds off Lake Michigan may ignite a few flurries in lakeside counties.
Wednesday: A cold start with readings near zero in outlying areas. Canadian high pressure continues to slide east, allowing temperatures to rise to near seasonable levels by afternoon.
Thursday: Partly sunny, breezy and milder by afternoon. Daytime highs may top the freezing mark for the first time in 11 days under freshening southwest winds.