Radar is quiet at this hour, but that looks to change soon, as lake-effect snow develops along Lake Michigan and a second wave of snow develops well south of Chicago overnight.
Lake-effect snow is expected to develop overnight between Midnight and 3 am. As usual with lake-effect snow, a sharp gradient of snowfall accumulation will lead to variances in snow totals between locations, even within short distances.
At this time, locations nearest Lake Michigan in eastern Cook County will face the brunt of the snow with anywhere from 2-5″ forecast through Thursday evening, while southern Cook County may see 1-4″. Further inland areas, such as Schaumburg, eastern DuPage County and even as far southwest as Joliet, may see minor accumulations up to 1″.
Areas not expecting additional snow will still have blowing snow to deal with during the Thursday morning commute. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for all of Cook County through 6 pm Thursday for Lake Effect and blowing snow.
The second wave of this storm system has, as we predicted yesterday, shifted farther south of Chicago, where another 3-6″ of system snow is forecast south of a Paxton IL-Renesselear IN line. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Kankakee County and counties further south through 6 pm Thursday.
Note: Seasonal snow totals listed below are informational only and do not include Wednesday`s totals, nor are they official totals used for billing purposes.