Snow expected Friday into the weekend for northern Illinois, forecast shows

Northern Illinois is expected to get more snow through the weekend and Friday morning’s commute could be sloppy, especially for motorists north of Interstate 88, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow is expected Friday and likely all day Saturday, National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Friedlein said.

The bad weather follows scattered snow showers this week that brought a wintry mix to the region on Wednesday, followed by some more scattered snowfall Thursday. While temperatures were colder Thursday, a warmup is expected over the weekend before temperatures throughout the region likely dip again next week.

“We’re in a clearly colder pattern now, and a very unsettled pattern now with every 12 to 24 hours a chance of additional snow,” Friedlein said Thursday morning. “We’ve had a little bit early this morning, we’ll continue flurries here throughout the early evening, with occasionally some embedded snow showers, especially toward western and northwestern Chicago suburbs, like McHenry and Kane County.”

Thursday night was expected to see temperatures in the upper teens and lower 20s throughout the region, the coldest temperatures recorded so far for northern Illinois in 2023, Friedlein said.

Although showers were expected to let up and give the region a quiet Thursday night, another weather system was headed this way. And with it, chances for an icy commute Friday morning for drivers. Warmer temperatures Friday will mean the precipitation could shift to snow later in the day.

Friday accumulation could bring up to 2 inches in some parts of northern Illinois, Friedlein said.

“This will arrive in the area around 8 a.m. [Friday]. It’s a very quick moving weather system, looks like it’s largely done by 2 p.m.,” Friedlein said. “Looks to produce some snow and also a chance that some of that briefly ends as rain just because our temperatures do moderate there.”

Friday temperatures are forecasted in the upper teens and early 20s in the morning, although temperatures are expected to increase to the mid-30s by mid-afternoon, Friedlein said. Gusting winds could be between 30 to 35 mph, and snow composition will be wetter later in the morning.

“Motorists should prepare for extra travel time [Friday morning],” Friedlein said. “You could get some slick spots on roads throughout [Thursday night] even after it snows. [Friday] morning could be slick spots, especially north of I-88.”

The National Weather Services also encourages motorists to remember that even small amounts of snow can lead to dangerous road conditions. Friedlein said the Illinois Department of Transportation reported numerous crashes throughout the northern Illinois region with snow under an inch Thursday morning.

“It does not take that much snow to cause problems on roads, especially if temperatures are below freezing, we saw that this morning,” Friedlein said Thursday. “Gusty winds make it tougher for road crews so it doesn’t take much, especially with busy travel like the Chicago metro area and suburbs to cause issues. So just a reminder for motorists, if you hear snow in the forecast you need to prepare to allow for extra time, probably going slower in places, keep extra following distance.”

Early regional weekend forecasts show more accumulated snow for much of the day between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Several more inches of snow are expected, especially north of I-88.

Temperatures are expected to get colder again early next week.

Residents throughout northern Illinois should prepare for overnight lows going into early next week near zero, possibly even subzero overnight temperatures by Wednesday.

“Highs on the first half of the week, Monday through Wednesday, look to be upper teens, mid-teens,” Friedlein said. “Snow cover acts as a freezer, and we have cold air coming from the north. ... So next week’s main theme is cold and continued unsettled weather, probably chances of minor snowfall.”