Chicago weather this weekend will be frigid, with wind chills pushing temperatures below zero into the double digits.

The winter weather blast begins with scattered flurries on Friday, with little to no accumulation expected. But starting Friday night, a cold front moves into the area starting between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Get the full 7-day forecast from our First Alert Weather team

The surge of cold air is coming in from Canada. That cold front brings bitter winds with it, so while the official high Saturday is 11 degrees, the wind chills will have the morning feeling like anywhere between 0 degrees and -14, depending on where you are. In fact, all day Saturday the wind chills never get about 0 degrees.

Sunday is even worse, when wind will make it feel like anywhere from -15 to -30 degrees, depending on where you are.

The National Weather Service issued a Cold Weather Advisory for the entire Chicago area and Northern Illinois, as well as Northwest Indiana, through 12 p.m. Sunday for the incoming freezing front. 

The extreme cold is dangerous for anyone outside, and especially for vulnerable groups like young children, senior citizens, people with chronic illness, outdoor workers and the unhoused. Frostbite can happen in a matter of minutes, especially on extremities like fingers, toes, nose and ears. People outside are also at an elevated risk of hypothermia.

And it's arriving during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the holiday season. The Chicago Loop Alliance said they've seen foot traffic around the 1.2 million mark on State Street between Ida B. Wells and Wacker Drive, right on target for this time of year. But many people we spoke to Friday said they were taking advantage of the current temperatures to finish their holiday shopping before the cold front hits.

If you're headed out this weekend, doctors and experts say you need to take precautions for the weather, including dressing in layers and wearing clothing that wicks away sweat. Covering your head, wearing gloves to protect your fingers and covering your face will also help to prevent frostbite.

Dr. Stathis Poulakidas of Cook County Health said during cold like this, special attention must be paid to those with dementia.

"They get lost, they have significant time where they're outside in the cold, exposed, and then they end up with horrible injuries to their limbs, both arms and legs, where they end up losing those limbs because of how bad their frostbite is," he said.

Dr. Poulakidas sad if possible, those with dementia should have someone with them at all times. If that's not possible, frequent wellness checks are a must.

People experiencing homelessness are also particularly vulnerable when temperatures drop below zero. Outreach teams at Thresholds spent Friday preparing their outreach teams to help over the weekend. starting at 4 p.m., groups of six outreach workers will split into pairs and eventually cover the CTA Red Line to make sure people who are unhoused are educated about the cold snap, and also see what they need to stay safe. 

"We specifically have staff who are stepping up and are willing to do overtime this weekend because of the cold weather and what that's calling for," said Jaclyn Story, program director. "We're really focusing on meeting immediate needs."

Story said her workers are willing to meet those needs whether t's on a train or in an encampment.

"So that's hand warmers, that's gloves, that's hats, that's winter coats, that's also boots. You know, we all know that, you know, our feet and our hands are the things that like will get cold the fastest," she said.

While Thresholds works year-round to provide mental health services, housing and other critical resources, Story said this weekend the focus will be on the encampments along DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and in areas in West and North Side communities.

"I think the main goal for us is whatever the individual's goal is, right? Their goal might be different than the their neighbor next to them, and so we don't want to have one blanket goal for everybody. We want to meet each individual goal differently, whatever that looks like," she said. 

Friday night, they will focus on the CTA. Outreach crews will be out until midnight. Other crews will start back up early Saturday morning, and begin focusing on outdoor encampments. 

Chicago Warming Centers

The City of Chicago operates warming centers Monday through Friday, and on weekends on in the event of severe weather. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications confirmed four of those warming centers will be open over the weekend.

Warming centers open Friday

Additionally, the following DFSS Senior Centers will be open Friday for warming: Southeast Center (1767 E. 79th St.) and Southwest Center (6117 S. Kedzie Ave.) - open 8:30 a.m.- 12 p.m. The remaining four Regional Senior Centers will be closed. All 15 Satellite Senior Centers are open 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

All Chicago Public Library and Chicago Park District locations are open for people to warm up during the normal Friday operating hours, as are the City Colleges of Chicago. All Chicago Police Districts are open 24 hours for anyone needing to get warm.

• Englewood Community Service Center - 1140 West 79th Street
• Garfield Community Service Center - 10 South Kedzie Avenue
• Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center - 4314 South Cottage Grove
• North Area Community Service Center - 845 West Wilson Avenue
• South Chicago Community Service Center - 8650 South Commercial Avenue
• Trina Davila Community Service Center - 4312 West North Avenue

Warming centers open Saturday and Sunday

• Garfield Center at 10 S. Kedzie, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. each day.
• Chicago Public Library locations, open during operating hours.
• Chicago Park District locations, open during operating hours.
• Chicago Police Districts, 24 hours.