Bitter cold and snow in today's forecast

Grab that scarf and hat before you head out the door this morning.

Temperatures will drop significantly this afternoon, from a high of 22 degrees to 9 degrees below zero tonight, "http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-88.00340lat=42.12839#.VNIRUi7LIrg"> the National Weather Service is predicting.

Wind gusts of 20 mph are also expected, making windchill values feel like of 20 below zero tonight, meteorologists say.

A 20 percent chance of snow is predicted Wednesday in the northern suburbs, meteorologists say. That snow chance increases to 30 percent in central suburbs and 50 percent in southern suburbs. The snowfall expected in the suburbs is less than 1 inch.

The heaviest snowfall is expected to hit north central and northeast Illinois, the National Weather Service said in a hazardous weather outlook statement.

The band of snow is expected to start mid-morning and last through mid-afternoon, officials said. Up to 5 inches of snow is expected south of I-80, officials said.

The cold will linger Thursday, with temperatures reaching a high near 15 and a low of 15 below zero overnight, meteorologists say.