Plunging temperatures to follow high suburban snowfall totals
Between the unusually high snowfalls of the previous day and a half and the dangerously plummeting temperatures to come, Saturday was probably the best time for suburbanites to enjoy the winter wonderland that had been created.
About another inch of snow was expected between 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday, but midnight was forecast to bring a wind chill advisory not to expire until 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to AccuWeather.
These wind chills of up to 35 degrees below zero in some areas of northeast Illinois could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as half an hour, forecasters warned. They advised the use of weather-appropriate clothing outdoors including hats and gloves.
Sunday’s high temperature is forecast at 4 degrees Fahrenheit, with a RealFeel of 19 degrees below zero, AccuWeather reported. This will drop to 7 below with a RealFeel of 29 below at night.
By dawn on Saturday morning, there was plenty of new snow for either sledding or shoveling depending on how favorably suburbanites saw it.
Elgin had one of the highest 36-hour snowfall totals in the region with 10.5 inches by 7 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Palatine topped the suburban Cook County totals with 9.7 inches, followed by Hoffman Estates at 8 inches and O’Hare Airport at 6.7 inches.
West Chicago led DuPage County snowfall with 8.8 inches, with Glen Ellyn a distant second at 7 inches.
Mundelein had received 7.8 inches of snow by Saturday morning, closely followed by the Lake County portion of Buffalo Grove at 7.7 inches.