Season's coldest air headed here by next weekend
With arctic air returning to the Chicago area and the Midwest this week, snow and colder weather are on tap instead of the recent siege of unseasonable warmth, rain and storminess.
A series of cold fronts are expected to pass through the area, each accompanied by a period of snow or snow showers and followed by a shot of arctic air. The coldest air will hold off until the end of next week, when strong northerly flow is expected to keep highs in the teens and send overnight lows below zero for the first time this winter. However, a build-up of at least an inch or two of snow cover here will be necessary to help maintain the strength of the incoming cold air.
Levels are falling, but many areas on the Illinois, Kankakee and Iroquois rivers (along with many streams and creeks south of Chicago) remain above flood stage. With colder weather ending the threat of additional rain, river levels should continue to fall over the next few days.
--By Steve Kahn, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist