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CHICAGO (WLS) — Prepare for a snowy and freezing weekend as severe weather conditions are set to hit the Chicago region.
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ABC7 Chicago’s meteorology team has issued an AccuWeather Alert highlighting the extreme cold this weekend.
The National Weather Service has announced a Cold Weather Advisory for a number of counties including Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Will, and others, active from 8 p.m. Saturday until noon on Sunday.
Wisconsin’s Waukesha County is also under a Cold Weather Advisory, effective from midnight Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday.
Additionally, a Winter Weather Advisory has been placed on LaSalle and Livingston counties, running from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Meteorologists Tracy Butler and Larry Mowry forecast increasing cloud cover on Friday afternoon, with snow expected to follow in some areas.
Large crowds were out at Aurora’s Christkindlmarket on Friday, but while indoor heated spaces are available, venturing out might be a little less inviting through the weekend.
Workers have been busy whipping up the special hot chocolate with melted marshmallow on top at the market on Friday afternoon. Hot chocolate and other warm drinks are big sellers there.
“When the sun is out, everything is lovely here, for sure, and hearty Midwesterners are coming out to enjoy the market,” said Aurora Christkindlmarket CEO Maren Biester Priebe.
But the temperature is expected to drop dramatically over the weekend.
The city of Aurora will =have a warming center open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. with meals available and plenty of cots for sleeping.They are expecting a full house on Friday night.
READ MORE | Warming centers open in city, suburbs as bitter cold moves into Chicago area | Full list
“Having this available during these cold months can prevent hypothermia and illness and other challenges sleeping in the elements afford,” said volunteer Matt Fogarty. “Most of these cots are full every night, if not all of them. And with the cold weather we’ve been having, it’s just crucial for people to have a warm place to go at night.”
Aurora has changed the rules for warming centers this year, opening them any time the temperature dips below 32 degrees.
“We’ve had deaths in the past, and one of my goals as mayor is to try to make sure we don’t have deaths just because they can’t find a warm place to sleep,” said Aurora Mayor John Laesch.
And warming centers will be needed, as an artic cold front approaches. It is expected to produce some scattered snow showers and flurries between 6 p.m. Friday and midnight Saturday.
Temperatures will then drop, mainly into the single digits, with wind chills of -10 to -20 overnight.
Saturday will be mostly cloudy and breezy with snow developing.
Most of the accumulating snow is expected south of Interstate 80.
There may be a dusting to less than 1 inch of snow in the city. South of I-80, a couple of inches of snow could accumulate during the daytime hours on Saturday.
High temperatures on Saturday it will be in the lower teens with wind chills staying around -10 to -20 throughout the day.
On Saturday night, temperatures will drop below zero for most locations, with wind chills dipping to -25 to -30.
Sunday morning, ahead of the Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field, will be the coldest part of the weekend.
While winds may relax on Sunday afternoon, it will still be bitterly cold. During the game, wind chills will be anywhere from -5 to -10.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. A warming trend is expected next week, and temperatures may climb into the 40s by Wednesday.
Click here for the latest seven-day forecast.
