Chicago snow forecast: Winter storm could heap 7 inches on area

CHICAGO - There are less than three weeks left of meteorological winter sure looks as though it will feel every bit of it for the rest of the month. 

Chicago weather forecast

What we know:

Today we will likely see some occasional light snow that has nothing to do with the approaching winter storm for tomorrow. There could be some light coatings of less than an inch in some areas with most of us getting little more than a dusting today. Highs will be in the mid to upper 20s.

Tonight will be quiet and cloudy with seasonably cold temperatures as we await the winter storm. Chicagoland remains under a Winter Storm Watch as of this writing. That will certainly change to either a Winter Weather Advisory or perhaps a Winter Storm Warning or a combination of both by later today or tonight to cover tomorrow’s storm.

Chicago snowstorm

What's next:

While snow of a light variety might be ongoing overnight into tomorrow morning, the greater impacts are reserved for later in the day and at night.

The early take on snowfall totals would appear to be somewhere in the 3 to 7 inch range across our area. 

It will not be particularly windy, so blowing snow will not be a significant problem, but the afternoon commute will likely be much more impacted than the morning commute. The snow should end sometime between midnight and daybreak on Thursday. 

There will likely be some impacts to the Thursday morning commute as the cleanup continues. The rest of Thursday and Friday look cold with partly sunny skies. Highs will be in the 20s, but with a fresh snow pack it is likely that many areas will see low temperatures at or below zero. 

The next storm still looks like several inches on the way Saturday perhaps starting late Friday night.