Chicago: Blizzard conditions to precede 'ferocious' Arctic air

Prior to Jan. 12, wintry weather has been unrelenting in the Chicago area since the start of 2024 with snow falling on all but one of the first 11 days of January -- and the biggest snowstorm yet is in the offing that could evolve into a blizzard in and around the city.

The storm will turn into an all-out blizzard in part of the Plains and Midwest, and may include the Chicago area.

"It might not officially be a blizzard, but at some point during this storm, it's going to look like a blizzard," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said.

Blizzard defined: A blizzard is more than just a powerful snowstorm; a list of criteria must be met for a storm to be designated as a blizzard. The key is persistent strong winds, with at least three hours of sustained winds of 35 mph or higher. Additionally, falling or blowing snow must reduce visibility to less than one-quarter of a mile throughout the three-hour threshold.

Hundreds of cars are seen stranded on Lake Shore Drive, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 in Chicago. A winter blizzard of historic proportions wobbled an otherwise snow-tough Chicago, stranding hundreds of drivers for up to 12 hours overnight on the city's showcase lakeshore thoroughfare and giving many city schoolchildren their first ever snow day. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

One of the most recent blizzards in Chicago took place on Feb. 1-2, 2011, when over 20 inches of snow piled up in Chicago. The powerful storm responsible for the blizzard also dealt wintry weather across more than 2,000 miles of the country from New Mexico through Maine.

Snow began to fall in earnest early Friday morning. But, while a change to rain occurred at midday, the worst of the snowstorm has yet to come. Conditions in Chicago will deteriorate quickly heading into the weekend.

"The worst of the storm will be late Friday night when the wind and snow intensity picks up, causing very poor visibility and dangerous, if not impossible, travel," Kines explained. A temporary sweep of dry air from the southwest may keep precipitation light around the city for a time Friday evening.

AccuWeather is predicting 4-8 inches of snow at the Chicago lakefront, but where all snow falls, over a foot could pile up. Around Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, 8-12 inches of snow is in the offing with a substantial number of flight delays and cancellations anticipated. Operations at the airport could be shut down for a time.

Brutal cold is expected to follow the snowstorm, sending temperatures plummeting to the lowest levels in two years.

"The cold behind the storm is ferocious," Kines said. "This outbreak of cold air will rival the arctic air mass right before Christmas 2022."

On Sunday, temperatures will struggle to climb above zero while the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature may remain lower than 20 degrees below zero throughout most of the day. The brutal cold air will remain in place into the start of next week.

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