WEATHER ALERT: Hour-by-Hour: Our Plummet to 30/35 Below

It’s getting colder and windier by the hour. As of 2 p.m., temperatures and wind chill will plummet by the hour, according to National Weather Service projections.

Patchy blowing snow and scattered flurries are expected after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 4 below zero. Northwest winds will be 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. The National Weather Service says wind chill values could reach 30 to 35 below zero Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.

Anyone outside too long in the arctic cold could suffer frostbite on exposed skin, including your furry friends.

Chicago PAWS rescued a 1-year-old stray cat with frostbitten ears on Monday. Named Sunny, the cat is also being treated for malnourishment. Your pet may be showing signs of hypothermia if you notice violent shivering, a weak pulse, labored breathing and muscle stiffness. Their skin will look red or gray, and their ears, tails and paws will be painful to the touch.

Wrap your pet in a warm blanket and call a veterinarian immediately.

HOUR-BY-HOUR: TEMPERATURE, WIND CHILL, WIND AND SNOW

A high-pressure system from Canada will move in Wednesday on the jet stream, bringing in a blast of arctic air. A wind chill warning has been issued for counties throughout the Chicago area from midnight Tuesday through noon Thursday. Counties included in the warning area are: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, McHenry, Lake, Kendall, Grundy, Boone and DeKalb counties.

On this day last year, the polar vortex dropped Chicago-area wind chill to 46 degrees below zero.

Commuters will be gladdened to know that the Illinois Tollway on Tuesday activated Zero Weather Road Patrols to assist motorists stranded in their cars during the severe cold weather and dangerous wind chills. The Zero Weather Road Patrols will be out whenever temperatures or sustained wind chills fall below zero degrees. The 24-hour Zero Weather Road Patrols search for drivers stranded in disabled vehicles and respond to calls that come in to *999 motorist assistance, Illinois Tollway dispatch or Illinois State Police District 15.

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