More snowfall likely to slow Monday morning commute; coldest temp of the winter possible later this week

Snow will not be the only thing coming down this week. Temperatures are expected to dip below zero Tuesday night, possibly leading to the coldest day of winter so far.

The Chicago area saw 2 to 5 inches of snow by Sunday morning, and forecasters say more snow is expected Monday and later in the week.

The official total for Chicago measured at O’Hare International Airport was 3.7 inches, according to Ricky Castro, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The highest amounts, 4 to 5 inches, were generally in northern DuPage and northern Cook counties and along the shore in Cook County. There were also pockets with 3 to 5 inches of snow in Lake County.

Castro said another snowfall starting Sunday evening could bring another 2 to 5 inches, with the highest snowfall rate coming during the Monday morning commute.

“Have plenty of extra time for the commute,” Castro said. “Expect (traffic) to be slower than it usually is.”

Salt spreaders began working on Saturday evening to ensure ground conditions are safe for motorists and will continue to be on-call since more snow is expected between Sunday night and rush hour, according to a news release from the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation.

The department, which handles more than 9,400 lane miles of roadway, urged motorists to be aware of deteriorating driving conditions.

“It should quiet down for a few days with another chance of snow not coming until later in the week, but it will be really cold between the Monday morning snow and that chance of snow later in the week,” Castro said.

On Monday morning, temperatures will be between the upper teens to roughly 20 degrees, according to Castro. In the afternoon, the temperatures will climb to the lower 30s.

But on Monday night, temperatures will drop to the single digits. In the west and northwest suburbs, the wind chill is expected to be as low as 5 to 15 below zero, Castro said.

On Tuesday, the Chicago area is expected to only reach highs in the upper single digits, and it could potentially be the coldest night the city has had this winter.

“Downtown Chicago has not gone below zero yet,” Castro said. “We’re forecasting the entire metro area at below zero on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, looking at negative double-digit readings in the west and northwest suburbs.”

The wind chill values in the west and northwest suburbs may go between 10 to 20 degrees below zero.