Chicago winter storm: Several inches of snow expected to blanket area

CHICAGO - Winter attacks the Chicago area this week. 

First of all, today is quiet with no impacts to the morning or evening commutes. Highs will reach the mid 30s under cloudy skies.  

Snow pushes in from the south starting around 8 p.m. when a winter weather advisory goes into effect. Roughly 2-5 inches of snow will likely fall overnight and roads will be impacted for the morning commute. 

Tomorrow will feature additional snow mixing with some rain especially near the lake and increasing winds. Because the snow will be heavy and wet, drifting will not be a concern but reduced visibilities will. Snow totals may exceed 8 inches in our northern and western counties with much less in the city. There will likely be a sharp transition zone from say 3-inch totals to over 6-inch totals.  

The strong winds and "concrete" nature of this snow will lead to worries of scattered power outages. Snow ends late at night Tuesday so the evening commute will also be affected.  

Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with highs in the low to mid 30s before a compact system throws another inch or so into the mix in some areas overnight into Thursday morning. Then, the specter of another significant and disruptive snowstorm looms over Friday and early Saturday.  

Following this storm, arctic air drills into Chicagoland with subzero chills and highs on Sunday which will barely be in the double digits.