DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN

While many of you automatically will think The Boss, (Mr. Bruce Springsteen) when reading the title of today's blog, I am of course looking to tie weather to music.  If this is your first reading of one of my blogs, then let me introduce my "blogging."  When possible, I will always find a way to tie in a title, a refrain or some part of classic rock n roll, to the weather. 

With that said, the "darkness on the edge of town," I'm referring to today is the lake-effect snow which will continue to spread through NW Indiana on this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  For those of you in Lake County, you can expect accumulations of 1-3" during the day.  But, for those of you in Porter and counties east, 3-6" of snow will be attainable with even some isolated higher totals possible. 

What I will also be watching tonight, is the turn of our winds out of the Northeast.  This is a perfect set up for lake-effect snow to develop in the Illinois lakeside counties.  So, that "darkness on the edge of town," may actually spread in to town...Chicago, overnight. 

Couple cold days here this week, still to be followed by a brief, very brief thaw on Wednesday and Thursday.  But all signs point to the return of some very cold air this weekend...not as cold as last week, but just a reminder that it's still January in Chicago.   

Tracy

Lake effect snow here in Chicago

Some lake effect snow is going to graze the communities along the lakefront tonight into Monday night but the most significant accumulations will be in Northwest Indiana. Areas along and east of I-65 could get up to 6 more inches of snow. We are expecting a nice warm-up later this week but don't expect any major thaws. I'm looking at some of the new model guidance and after milder weather on Wednesday and Thursday(highs in the 30s) it looks like it will turn colder by Friday

Rochelle Report is Bogus

This morning, an automated weather station in Rochelle, Illinois(RPJ) reported a temperature of -37.  That 6 a.m. reading represented a nearly 20-degree drop the previous hour's temperature at RPJ, and had it proven to be valid, would have broken Illinois' all-time coldest temperature.  On January 5, 1999, the mercury in Congerville located in Woodford County plummeted to -36 to establish the state record.  National Weather Service technicians went to Rochelle, located in Ogle County in northwest Illinois, and determined the thermometer was indeed broken, and likely was 13 degrees off the actual reading.  I am a big fan of Accu-Weather's Joe Bastardi, but today his internet opinion that the record temp HAD been broken was dead wrong.  I often wonder about the thermometer at ARR (Sugar Grove) which long-time viewers probably know always seems to be colder than everywhere else in the state.  Today, it registered a -24.  That number goes unchalleneged and is plenty cold, IMHO!!!  Mike

An Experiment

As you've probably heard, a US AIR Airbus 320 ditched in the Hudson River en route from New York to Charlotte this afternoon.  It looks like everyone has gotten off the plane safely, a credit to the pilot and crew of that aircraft.  I've checked the area water temperatures where the plane went down and where people went in prior to rescue and the Hudson is ranging from 36-41 degrees.  What would that feel like? Here's an experiment you might wish to try.  Fill up your bathtub with onyl cold tap water.  Get in.  That's what it would have felt like for those passengers, except you would have the added benefit of 70 degree air inside, whereas the passengers in New York would be instant icicles in the 21-degree air temperatures.

COLD AS ICE....

YES...you will notice many of my blogs incorporate nods to music.  So, thank you Foreigner for today's title.  Yes, it gets cold in Chicago.  But this really is dangerous cold.  Since shortly before midnight, our temperatures have been below zero and wind chills have been between   -20 and -40.  It is quite possible that our temperatures may stay below zero for at least 36 consecutive hours.   Stay safe....

Tracy

Coldest High in Almost 13 Years Coming

On February 3, 1996, the high temperature at O'Hare only hit -5.  That's the last time we've failed to rise above zero on any calendar day.  Tomorrow we'll be lucky to hit -1 officially.  Temps may stay below zero from tonight through Friday afternoon the way it looks now.  This evening, a narrow but intense band of lake-effect snow is grazing the Chicago shoreline.  Over the next few hours, that snow will wheel into NW Indiana and eventually into Michigan.  Dangerous driving conditions will prevail in the snow belt where a fast 3-6" is likely at least.  Jerry and I will have the latest on the snow and cold starting at 4pm.  Mike Caplan

THIS, THAT AND SO MUCH MORE

Good morning to all!  One thing that I think is important to convey is that we here in the ABC7 Weather Center do not issue the Watches, Warnings and Advisories which you may see crawled across your TV screen or on a weather map during our presentations.  That is information which is posted by the National Weather Service in Romeoville. (The Storm Prediction Center gets involved with severe weather situations too...I can explain that more in the future) 

I state this simply because a very kind gentleman called me this morning asking me to tell people that there is a blizzard warning in his town.  Of course, I understood his point and explained to him that I can certainly STRESS the intensity of the wind, the snow and the cold in his area, but OFFICIALLY we do not issue those things, but we do report them.  A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR COOK COUNTY (MAINLY THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY) until 4pm.  A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR LAKE AND PORTER COUNTIES IN NW INDIANA.  A WIND CHILL WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND CONTINUE UNTIL FRIDAY AT NOON.

Now....with all that said, this morning's rush hour was atrocious.  We mentioned yesterday that snow would be falling just in time for that morning rush.  As I watched the radar, it appeared, especially in the far southwest and southern suburbs that snow was falling at the rate of one, maybe two inches/hour.  It was awful.

Now this afternoon, we will watch for lake-effect snow bands to develop and hug the Illinois lake-front for a while.   Those bands will hit NW Indiana too and be very persistent there thru the evening. 

Intense cold will really become entrenched overnight tonight and thru Friday.   

Blizzard Watch Canceled

Good news... kind of.  The Blizzard Watch issued by the National Weather Service for Wednesday has been nixed.  The bad news is that there will still be a few inches of powdery snow tomorrow, and howling NW winds, and cornea-freezing cold after the storm passes.  I'll have the latest at 4pm!

Mike

MID-WEEK MAYHEM

Greetings on this Tuesday!  Fortunately, the anticipated blizzard-like conditions did not materialize throughout the Chicago area this morning, however, that doesn't mean that we didn't have issues.  Icy conditions were a problem this morning as I watched the wind speeds increase and the temperatures fall.  Yes...it gets cold in Chicago, we all know that, but with each each cold wave taking aim on Chicago this week, it doesn't mean it's easier to tolerate.

The National Weather Service has placed us under another BLIZZARD WATCH for tomorrow beginning at noon. I think by tomorrow morning's rush hour, we will begin to see that snow falling and it will be persistent throughout the day and evening.  As of this writing, totals are expected to be anywhere between TWO AND SIX INCHES throughout the area and we will have to keep an eye on those of you in NW Indiana for lake-effect. 

Thursday's afternoon temperatures look awful no matter how you slice it.  I think we will struggle to get to zero (that's optimistic) and many of us may only see a HIGH OF FIVE BELOW ZERO!  Well, I'll STOP RIGHT THERE, even though you may want to KNOW RIGHT NOW....

By the way, thanks to those of you who commented on yesterday's blog.  We know that there are many of you in those outlying areas who need your information too and we strive to make sure we have you covered!  Thanks to my weather watchers who are out there during those wee hours looking at their thermometers, rain gauges and measuring snow!

Tracy

A Tale of Two Blizzards

It was the snowiest of times.  It was the coldest of times. OK. Enough Dickens.  Quick then.  2"-3" tonight with horrible blowing snow conditions overnight into tomorrow morning.  Whiteouts in open areas.  Stronger blast of snow, wind and cold hits Wednesday.  4"-8" possible with stronger winds and even more barbaric temps.  High temp Thursday: -1.  Nuf said.