As Chicago prepares for a cocktail of winter weather, residents are advised to brace themselves for potentially perilous travel conditions. According to a forecast from the National Weather Service, today, there is a slight chance of snow between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., followed by cloudy skies and a high near 33 degrees; however, the real concern begins this evening with an onslaught of freezing rain, creating slick roads into Thursday morning.
Given the anticipated weather conditions, the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory effective this evening for all of Northeastern Illinois and parts of Northwest Indiana, predicting a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain, the latter expecting ice accumulation of less than a tenth of an inch but significant enough to make travel hazardous. "Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous," the NWS cautioned, as reported by NBC Chicago.
The advisory extends to several Illinois counties and Newton County in Indiana, starting at 4 p.m. for areas like LaSalle, Grundy, and Kankakee, and for the rest of the region, the advisory begins at 6 p.m.; these advisories are set to expire at 6 a.m. Thursday. NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman highlighted the "peak timing" for the most severe conditions will be from 6 p.m. through midnight Wednesday while her colleague Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes explained, "freezing rain is "just rain," but becomes ice once it makes contact with surfaces," emphasizing the difference between sleet and freezing rain and the potential dangers, particularly on untreated surfaces.
Thursday expects to see mostly cloudy skies early, turning sunny with a high near 42 and breezy conditions, while the rest of the week fluctuates, with temperatures hovering just above freezing and chances of wintry precipitation through Saturday. "Sleet pings, freezing rain clings, that's the difference" Jeanes said, "Freezing rain is some of the worst winter weather you can get. Any bit of ice can cause big problems on the road," stressing the need for caution and preparedness when traveling under these treacherous conditions as even a small amount of ice could cause significant disruptions.
