Timing of Winter Storm Shifts for Chicago Area as Threat for Dangerous Conditions Looms - NBC Chicago

Dangerous wintertime conditions are expected successful the Chicago country this week, but the timing for erstwhile they could commencement has already shifted.

According to caller forecasts, it appears the timing of the tempest has shifted earlier, with a wintertime tempest ticker present taking effect successful immoderate counties Thursday morning.

The ticker was primitively not expected to statesman until Thursday evening, but the National Weather Service changed that designation Tuesday morning.

The wintertime tempest ticker was moved up for immoderate counties to arsenic aboriginal arsenic Thursday morning, including successful McHenry, DeKalb, Kane, LaSalle, Kendall and Grundy.

Things volition "rapidly" worsen heading into Thursday afternoon, with snowfall increasing much wide and becoming stronger.

A wintertime tempest ticker for Lake, DuPage, Kankakee, Cook and Will counties successful Illinois, and Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties successful northwest Indiana, was besides moved up, present opening Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

According to forecasters, the timing of the strength was primitively later, but caller models amusement "slightly faster accomplishment of deteriorating conditions Thursday afternoon."

The alert warns that "falling and blowing snowfall whitethorn effect successful achromatic retired conditions with zero visibility astatine times, making question highly difficult, if not impossible."

"Power outages volition besides beryllium imaginable arsenic a effect of beardown damaging upwind gusts to 55 mph," it states.

Icy roads could adhd to the hazardous conditions arsenic temperatures rapidly fall.

The aggravated wintertime tempest is expected to beryllium wide by the evening hours. This marks the clip erstwhile it could could make blizzard conditions and is expected to "severely" interaction travel.

Major impacts are expected from the snowstorm passim the time Friday.

Expect dense snow, beardown and damaging winds, hard oregon near-impossible question conditions and dangerously acold temperatures and upwind chills.

Wind chill readings are expected to driblet adjacent -30 arsenic aboriginal arsenic Friday morning.

The wintertime tempest ticker is slated to proceed done precocious Friday evening arsenic the tempest and perchance "blizzard-like" conditions clasp strong.

Forecasts are unclear arsenic to however overmuch snowfall whitethorn really autumn arsenic snowfall but the snowfall is expected to statesman subsiding overnight.

Early predictions truthful acold bespeak the Chicago country could spot betwixt 5 and 9 inches of snow, with higher totals possible, particularly successful northwest Indiana. Some locations could besides spot little totals.

Snow begins to lighten aboriginal Saturday morning, but hazardous question conditions are slated to proceed done the play arsenic unsafe acold continues.

Minimum upwind chills of -20 to -30 degrees are expected with highs successful the azygous digits and debased teens. Lake effect snowfall showers are besides imaginable successful parts of northwest Indiana, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.

Difficult and intolerable question conditions could linger, peculiarly successful the greeting hours Saturday, arsenic blowing and drifting snowfall remains a concern.