The National Weather Service says a potential winter storm system could bring six inches or more of snow to the Chicagoland area on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm watch on Monday that will go into effect on Wednesday for Lake, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, DuPage, Cook, Will, Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, Lee, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy and Livingston counties.
The weather service said confidence continues to increase that a winter storm system will impact the Midwest and Great Lakes region.
The system will impact the northern Illinois area on Wednesday through Wednesday night.
“While exact snow amounts remain uncertain, there is an increasing potential for several inches of snow in portions of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana,” the NWS said.
The watch issued said heavy snow, with total accumulations of six inches or more, is possible.
The Wednesday afternoon and evening commute will likely be impacted due to the accumulating snow.
The NWS said motorists should prepare for very difficult travel on Wednesday into early Thursday morning.
The NWS said the exact track of the system and exact amounts of snow are still uncertain.
Forecasts charts from the NWS show an 81% chance of six inches or more of snow in Waukegan and a 73% chance of six inches or more of snow in Chicago.
Snowfall rates of an inch per hour are possible, including during the Wednesday afternoon and evening commute, the watch said.
Wind chills as low as 10 degrees below zero are then possible on Friday morning along with more accumulating snow Friday night and Saturday.