Temperatures Dropping As Cold Front Arrives Before Valentine's Day
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A cold front arriving in Chicago from the Northwest will bring cold and possibly dangerous wind chills into the area just before the Valentine's Day weekend.
The temperature will continue to drop through the day Wednesday, falling into the mid-20s by the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
That's warm compared to Thursday, when the high is only expected to reach into the single digits and low teens, according to the weather service. Winds will also increase overnight and gust as high as 35 mph Thursday morning.
Friday will be a bit warmer, with highs between 20 and 26. But a second cold wave will arrive for the weekend—temperatures will most likely stay in the single digits both Saturday and Sunday.
Chicago saw its coldest weather of 2015 in late January, with wind chills of 30-below, according to the weather service. Saturday and Sunday nights will near those temperatures, with wind chills expected to hit 25 below zero.
The weather service warns that frostbite can occur in 30 minutes or less at those wind chill values.
"I don't know if this weekend will be the coldest of the year, but we will struggle to stay above the single digits," said David Beachler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville.
Lake effect snow will also arrive and result in accumulations across northwest Indiana and southeast Michigan through Thursday night. However, it's expected to miss Chicago.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for LaPorte County, Ind.—and points east and north—from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday, with 3-7 inches of snow possible, mainly in areas west of U.S. 31 and north of U.S. 6. The high winds could lead to blowing and drifting snow, with whiteout conditions possible in some areas.
However, Chicago is in the middle of a hazardous weather advisory for small craft on Lake Michigan, with gale force winds and heavy freezing spray expected Wednesday night through Thursday, and Saturday, from the Wisconsin state line all the way to southeast Michigan.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)