An air mass likely to produce the fall's chilliest temperatures to date tightens its grip
on the Chicago area and activates the lake-snow machine a second time this week in
sections of Indiana and Michigan. Waves of snowfall from Porter, La Porte and St.
Joseph Counties in Indiana north into western Michigan could sweep parts of the
affected area for 24 to 36 hours, producing accumulations ranging from several inches
to as much as 8 to 14 inches. Unlike Tuesday's 10-inch lake snow centered in the
Valparaiso, Ind., area, the heaviest snowfall Thursday and Friday appears to be targeting
La Porte and St. Joseph Counties in Indiana and Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties in
Michigan.
Temperatures Thursday hover in the low 30s and may even slip a few degrees by
nightfall. But Friday's upper 20s will be the chilliest and coldest readings here since
early March -- more than 8 months ago.
CHILL GRIPS BOTH ENDS OF NORTH AMERICA
Record lows occurred from Tennessee to Florida Wednesday morning even as bitter air
sent Fairbanks, Alaska, below minus 20 degrees the first time this season.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
