More Top Picks Workbenches
player ready...Bitterly cold conditions, marked by several periods of snow and subzero wind chills, are expected in the Chicago area this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
A brief round of snow could hit in the evening Friday, which is also Groundhog Day, the weather service said, and a longer period of snowfall could occur Saturday afternoon into Sunday.
The expected snow this weekend will overlap with the anniversary of the famed Groundhog Day blizzard that hit the Chicago area in 2011. That year, during the three-day span of Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, the area was hit with 21.2 inches of snow, making it the third-worst storm recorded in the city at the time, the Tribune reported. At least a dozen in the area died as a result of the storm, Tribune reports said, including an employee of the city Department of Streets and Sanitation who had a fatal heart attack while shoveling snow.
Following car crashes at North Side exits, hundreds of motorists and several city buses were memorably stranded on Lake Shore Drive, with some people even spending the night in their cars. City officials closed the major roadway the evening of Feb. 1.
After this weekend’s snow, another wave is predicted Monday afternoon through Monday night, possibly during the evening commute, and then again Tuesday.
Most of the snow is expected to fall between late Saturday into Sunday, possibly 2 to 4 inches, said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist at the weather service. Another couple of inches could fall by late Monday.
Frigid weather is more certain through the weekend, according to the weather service. Monday is expected to be the coldest day, with a possible low of 5 degrees.
“Certainly that can change between now and then. It could get a little colder,” Birk said.
“And that’s actually just air temperature,” he added — depending on the wind chill and the amount of snow cover on the ground, temperatures could be even lower, as low as 10 to 15 degrees below zero Monday evening.
Avoiding prolonged time outside and dressing in layers when outdoors is advised, as is bringing pets indoors.
Each winter, the Chicago area typically sees just over 20 inches of snowfall through Jan. 31. Less than half of that has fallen so far in the 2017-18 season, according to the weather service.