CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago's second major winter storm in a week is expected to dump between 6 and 9 inches of snow on Chicago from Saturday to Sunday, bringing with it the possibility of lake shore flooding and high winds, according to the National Weather Service.
The heavy, wet snow will quickly intensify after it hits the area about 3 p.m. Saturday, forecasters said. A winter storm warning will be in effect from then until 6 p.m. Sunday. Up to 5 inches could fall between 6 p.m. Saturday and midnight.
The snow, in combination with strong wind and low visibility, could cause dangerous driving conditions and lake shore waves up to 11 feet tall, forecasters warned. Northern and Central Cook County remains under a lake shore flooding advisory until 3 a.m. Monday.
The latest storm could mark a drastic departure from the milder winters the area has seen over the last few years.
When the snow eases Sunday morning, the winds will change from west to east and bring a round of lake-effect snow, which could last until Sunday evening.
It all follows a storm that hit the area Tuesday and dropped 5.8 inches of snow at O'Hare Airport, the largest snowfall in Chicago since April 2019.
This storm could easily surpass that total, marking a departure from the mild winters the area has seen over the last few years. according to National Weather Service forecaster Brian Leatherwood.
"This is one of the bigger ones," Leatherwood said Friday.
Chicago has recorded 11.1 inches of snow so far this season, putting us above the 10.8-inch average, Leatherwood said.
While Tuesday's storm brought the area up to the average, Leatherwood said, "this storm could put us above normal."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2020. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
