Windchill to drop to below 20 on Sunday night in Chicago area

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A windchill advisory was issued for the Chicago area starting Sunday night as the region braces for another cold mass this week.

Instead of the normal high of about 40 degrees that arrives around this time of year, temperatures won’t surpass the low 20s during the afternoons from Sunday to Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Overnight Monday, subzero temperatures — and windchill values of minus 20 — will sweep through northeast Illinois, the weather service said.

The windchill advisory lifts at 9 a.m. Monday, though the cold episode is expected to persist until Wednesday, the weather service said.

Monday afternoon will see a high of 16 degrees, while Tuesday will slightly warm up to 21 degrees, the weather service said.

Despite the uncanny cold for the first week of March, Chicagoans will escape the life-threatening freeze that came from the record-breaking polar vortex late January. However, residents are still warned to take measures against risk of frostbite, such as properly layering clothes.

The upcoming swirl of cold air is largely thanks to a thick snow cover in neighboring Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, the weather service said.