Snow, Below Zero Wind Chills To Hit IL As New Year Begins

ILLINOIS — The first weekend of the new year will bring colder temperatures, frigid wind chills and possible snowfall to parts of Illinois, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). An inch or more of snow is expected to fall near Ottawa and Kankakee, with light snow forecasted for northern Illinois.

The snow is expected to start Thursday afternoon into the evening, with temperatures potentially dropping as low as 17 degrees and wind gusts up to 20 mph. Friday is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 24 degrees, but expect colder temperatures on Friday night, with a low of around 11 degrees.

On Saturday, sunny skies are expected, with highs around 23 degrees and a low of 15 degrees. Sunday will bring slightly warmer temperatures, with the chance of snowfall Sunday night into Monday morning, mainly south of I-80.

Temperatures are expected to get colder next week, with high of 25 degrees on Tuesday and 19 degrees on Wednesday.