Forecasters expect winter weather to finally grip northern Illinois and northwest Indiana this week, beginning with the possibility of lakeshore flooding, strong winds and as much as 5 inches of snow Sunday into Monday, primarily in Indiana.
A lakeshore flood advisory for the Cook County shoreline will begin at midnight and continue through to Monday evening. A lakeshore flood warning will be in effect for the northwest Indiana shore all the way to the Michigan state line beginning at midnight all the way until Tuesday morning, said Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Kluber said a system will move into the area Sunday afternoon that’s expected to bring strong winds and precipitation that, with the temperature hovering around freezing, is expected to fall as snow. Northwest Indiana is expected to bear the brunt of the system, as the lake effect will produce 3 to 5 inches of snow in Porter County, near Valparaiso, he said. The Gary area in Lake County could get 1 to 3 inches of snow.
“The confidence increases as you go east,” Kluber said.
Downtown Chicago could also see as much as half an inch of snow if conditions are right. Snow would likely start falling around 3 a.m. if it materializes, he said, and will only get worse the farther east you go — meaning the morning commute could be treacherous for anyone traveling between Indiana and Illinois. Snow in the city would be confined to the area immediately near the lake and, because of the shoreline’s shape, has a greater likelihood of affecting points farther south, Kluber said.
“On top of that, what’s going to exacerbate or make this more hazardous, are the wind gusts of 35 mph, beginning about 8 or so (Sunday) evening. Those winds will increase further late tonight into tomorrow so we’re looking at, along the shore in Cook County, winds of about 40 mph, even briefly gusting to 45 mph.”
The powerful wind gusts are expected to whip up waves on the lake, leading to the possibility of flooding.
Kluber said the area has had relatively mild temperatures so far this season, but temperatures are expected to drop Tuesday and better align with what’s typical this time of year.
Sunday’s high temperature was in the 40s and Monday and Tuesday should drop down to a high of 34 or 35 degrees, he said. The low Monday night, though, should drop to the low 20s.
“We should be in the low 20s for outlying areas and the mid-20s in the city. The low at O’Hare should be 25 (degrees), which is the lowest it’s been for O’Hare so far this season,” Kluber said. “But the average low for Chicago for this date is 26 (degrees), so it will feel colder but it’s really in line with norms for this time of year.”
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