Generally 2 to 3 inches of snow covers the Chicago area after Sunday’s gentle midwinter storm. Much heavier snowfall occurred in Iowa, where over 8 inches covers much of the west and central portions of that state. Northern and central Illinois reported snow depths ranging from 2 to 4 inches.
For the week ahead, the jet stream flow aloft over the western Great Lakes will be out of the northwest, and Chicago is expected to lie on the southern fringe of periodic incursions of cold Canadian air. Thus Chicago’s temperatures for the week ahead will average close to or slightly below normal.
This Saturday may see a brief “warm-up” with the first above freezing readings since Jan. 15. However, this may be very deceptive as computer models indicate the coldest air of the season—on a direct track from the arctic—is scheduled to follow a cold front into Illinois Saturday night, giving single-digit highs and subzero wind chills next Sunday.
--By Paul Dailey, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
