Chicago weather: Snow chances tonight and Wednesday before dangerous cold settles in

Snow chances tonight and Wednesday before dangerous cold settles in

Mike Caplan has your Chicago weather update!

CHICAGO - Happy anniversary! Or not so happy.

On this date in 1985, Chicago recorded its coldest temperature on record when the mercury hit -27° on that Sunday morning. While it won’t be THAT cold, there is plenty of Arctic air in this upcoming forecast.

What we know:

Today starts out with some sunshine and temperatures that won’t be as harsh as yesterday. High should make it into the low 20s this afternoon even as cloud cover begins to move in. Tonight, snow will move in favoring the northern half of our viewing area where where 3-5" are likely. A winter weather advisory is in effect.

Snow will end early tomorrow morning, but that will not be the last snow of the day. The rest of Wednesday will be seasonably cold with highs just shy of 30. A new round of light snow will move in during the evening, possibly depositing another inch on top of what had fallen by morning.

What's next:

On Thursday it will be mostly cloudy and cold with highs in the low 20s. And then the Arctic front hits. Temperatures will crash Thursday night to well below zero readings and dangerous wind chills. Friday will likely stay at or below zero for a high, with lows at night dropping once again well below zero. Don’t be surprised if we get a cold weather advisory during this timeframe.

Saturday will be frigid. At least highs get above zero but probably not to 10. On Sunday skies will once again be partly to mostly cloudy with temperatures getting into the mid teens.