Chicago to see wind chills, varying amounts of snow over the weekend
Low temperatures will continue to be prevalent in the Chicago area through the weekend, but they won't be as dangerously low as they were Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s going to be cold out there, but it’s not going to be, like, brutally cold like what we saw [Friday] and [Thursday] night," meteorologist Kevin Birk said.
Friday's low was minus 11 at O'Hare Airport just after 9 a.m. and the high was 5 around midnight. About 7 p.m. Friday, O'Hare was reporting temps of minus 9 degrees. Wind chills Friday reached as low as minus 40.
A cold weather advisory is in effect for the Chicago area until 9 a.m. Saturday. Wind chills are expected to drop as low as minus 20, Birk said.
After Saturday morning, temperatures the rest of the weekend will likely remain above zero, he said. But as a winter storm moves across the country, northern Illinois may see some snowfall closer to the lake.
Highs for Saturday will be around 10 degrees, and it could be a bit warmer Sunday. Lows will be in the single digits, he predicted.
Here is a look at the week ahead. Expect below average temperatures and additional periods of snow through next week. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/frrzPmzcbm
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 23, 2026
“Depending on where you’re at, you could see as little as an inch or less," Birk said. "While parts of the city and in points south could see anywhere from 2 to possibly as much as 6 inches of snow.”
A combination of the cold and some snowfall may result in "some travel headaches due to slick conditions," he said.
Monday should be precipitation-free, Birk said.
"We'll see temperatures maybe top out around 10 degrees or so during the day," he said. "But otherwise there's no significant weather expected during the day on Monday."