It may be March, but winter has decided to rear its ugly head one last time before spring arrives (hopefully) in Chicago. Most of the area has already received 1 to 5 inches of snow, which officially ends Chicago's streak of snowless days at 85. The last time the city saw measurable accumulations was on December 17, but this morning's dusting is just a precursor to an even larger winter storm expected overnight on Monday and lasting into Tuesday morning.
A lake effect snow warning will be in effect from 7pm this evening to 4pm tomorrow afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is expected to drop 5 to 9 inches of snow across northeastern Illinois.
Late season snow this morning will give way to potentially heavy lake effect snow tonight into Tues. #inwx #ilwx pic.twitter.com/teicElCVMG
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 13, 2017
The NWS points out that not all areas will experience lake effect snow but adds that it's hard to predict where significant accumulate will occur. "Typically, these sort of lake effect bands are only 10 to 15 miles wide but can produce very heavy snow, sometimes in excess of 2 inches per hour," the warning reads. "Because of the nature of lake effect snow bands, snowfall accumulations and conditions can vary drastically over relatively short distances."
The snow will be gone by Tuesday afternoon but cooler temps will stick around through Thursday. Mild temperatures return on Friday but will be accompanied by rain and wind. The good news is that Saturday will be sunny and 47, so you still may be able to take advantage of the relatively warm weather.
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