Winter Storm Watch Now Includes Cook County

The National Weather Service has extended a Winter Storm Watch to include Cook and DuPage counties, with forecasts of 8 inches of snow west and north of Chicago from Friday night into Saturday morning.

Warm ground and pavement make it hard to predict how much of it will stick early Friday night, but driving conditions will become difficult, with reduced visibilities. Chances of accumulation are expected to increase overnight Friday into Saturday morning, NWS warns.

The winter storm watch for Cook and DuPage counties includes areas away from Lake Michigan, where accumulations of up to 8 inches are possible. A large portion of the Chicago area could see 4 to 7 inches.

Areas north of Interstate 80—including DuPage, Cook, LaSalle, Grundy, Kendall, and Will counties—could see 2 to 5 inches of snow. The largest snowfall is expected north of the Lee and Ogle county line to the Lake County line. The watch also includes Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, DeKalb and Kane counties in northeast Illinois.

The bulk of the snow is anticipated to fall from midnight into mid-morning Saturday. The winter storm watch is in effect from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon.

The possible snow comes at the tail end of Winter Weather Preparedness Week at the National Weather Service. Check out the NWS’s advice and guides to prep for the coming winter.

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