CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for portions of north central and northeast Illinois, including the Chicago metro.
The advisory takes effect at 11 a.m. Thursday and remains in effect until noon Friday for Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties.
A period of light mixed precipitation is possible late Thursday morning before a period of heavy snow Thursday afternoon. Blowing snow is possible Thursday afternoon and likely Thursday night when west winds gust to 40 to 45 mph. The National Weather Service is predicting total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches.
The main danger Thursday is the heavy rate of snowfall, up to 2 inches per hour, which could hamper evening commuters. The majority of the snow was expected to fall between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Plan on potentially low visibility due to snow and blowing snow, along with snow and ice covered roads. Conditions will be hazardous during Thursday evening's commute. Blowing snow could continue to impact the Friday morning commute in primarily open areas, the National Weather Service said.
Slow down and use caution while traveling. Sharply falling temperatures Thursday night will cause any lingering wet spots to freeze quickly.
Temperatures will begin falling throughout the day Friday. There will be an arctic bitter blast this weekend, bringing below-zero wind chills for several days into next week.
The deepest freeze is expected Saturday night through Tuesday.
Wind chills could reach minus 20 to minus 30 degrees, and temperatures may not rise above the single digits until after Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Even after Tuesday, the cold is expected to linger for several more days.
Additionally, another period of snow is expected Saturday night into Sunday morning, which could also affect visibility and travel. It is too early to forecast how much snow is expected.