- Credibility:
DOWNTOWN — A storm will drop up to 12 inches of snow on parts of Chicago starting Tuesday.
The National Weather Service has already issued a Winter Storm Watch for the snowstorm, which is expected to start Tuesday and last into Wednesday. The city will see heavy snowfall and “hazardous conditions” that could make travel “very difficult,” particularly during rush hour, according to the National Weather Service.
“Looks like everybody’s in for snow tomorrow,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Walker.
There will be “big differences across the city,” though, Walker said: The North and West sides of Chicago could get 6-12 inches of snow, while the South and East sides are expected to get 2-4 inches.
Overall, Walker expects the city to get 4-8 inches, but that “could vary … greatly.”
The bad weather will start Monday afternoon, when there will be rain. That could turn into a mix of snow with sleet later on, with all snow in the northern and western parts of the city.
A Lakeshore Flood Watch from the National Weather Service kicks off at 6 a.m. Tuesday, with the agency warning there could be wind gusts as high as 40 mph, creating waves 8-12 feet tall.
The winds, combined with high lake levels on Lake Michigan, “could exacerbate already significant beach and shoreline erosion and damage structures along the shore,” according to the warning. That watch ends 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Commuters could be in for “slippery travel” Tuesday morning and evening, Walker said.
Temperatures will dip as the storm comes, as Tuesday will have an expected high of 36 degrees. Wednesday will hit just 30 degrees, Walker said, and the wind will make it feel like it’s in the teens.
It’ll be even colder at the end of the week, when there will be several days in just the mid-20s, Walker said. Winds on Thursday could make it feel as low as the single digits, though the winds will let up on Friday and it won’t “feel quite as harsh.”
