Winter storm to hit suburbs on Christmas Eve
Good thing Santa wears boots.
A winter storm is expected to hit the Chicago area on Christmas Eve, with most suburbs expected to get at least a dusting of snow starting midmorning, and some areas could pick up 7 inches or more.
A narrow band of wet, heavy snow will form somewhere within the strong system, but meteorologists are struggling to predict exactly where. The suburbs are definitely in the target zone, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Enderlen.
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the entire Chicago metropolitan area through Wednesday evening.
"(The band of heavy snow) could be Kendall or Grundy counties, or it could be in Lake County, Indiana. We'll have to wait and see. The models have been all over the place," said National Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Enderlen. "It's going to be extremely wet, heavy snow. Snowblowers may be useless depending on how heavy it is."
Tricky travel
Whether it's 1 inch or 1 foot, the snow will make travel tricky and more dangerous during the busy holiday. Illinois Department of Transportation is monitoring the weather, ready to deploy close to 400 pieces of snow removal equipment if necessary.
"Crews, plows and equipment are ready to be dispatched, and we have ample amounts of salt on hand, so we're prepared," said IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell. "We advise people to take extra time while traveling."
O'Hare International and Midway airports are also keeping a watchful eye. Christmas Eve is the busiest travel day of the year at Midway, with 66,000 travelers coming through.
Stable after Christmas
Once the storm passes, the weather pattern will return to calm and gloomy. Chicago is on pace to have the cloudiest December on record, the National Weather Service reports. Christmas Day is forecast to be partly sunny with a high of 37, and Friday temperatures will be in the lower 40s.
White Christmas
White Christmas has a variety of definitions. Some people believe the trees and ground need to be completely covered in snow. But it's generally defined as an inch of snow on the ground. So if you're dreaming of a white Christmas like Bing Crosby, you might get your wish.