Winter Weather Advisory in Effect Over Chicago Counties to Prep for Incoming Snowstorm

To get ready for the impending snowstorm, some Chicago counties are already under a winter weather advisory.

Chicago and the surrounding counties are under a Winter Weather Advisory from Saturday morning through Sunday morning, with several areas also under a Winter Storm Warning.

Winter Storm Warning

Up until 3 AM on Sunday, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the counties of Lake, Boone, Winnebago, and McHenry.

Milwaukee, Rock, Racine, Walworth, Kenosha, and Ozaukee counties in Wisconsin have also received a Winter Storm Warning that is in effect until 6 AM on Sunday.

Winter Weather Advisory

Boone, Cook, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Lee, and Winnebago counties will be under a winter weather advisory from 9 in the morning on Saturday to 3 AM on Sunday.

A more persistent snowstorm arrived in the area on Saturday morning after isolated snow showers and brief snowfalls continued through Friday afternoon and into the evening, complicated by gusty winds that blew snow around.

The majority of the region will experience snow development in the afternoon and early evening, but the biggest snowfalls will occur on Saturday night, according to Greg Dutra, an ABC7 Chicago Meteorologist.

4-Inch, 6-Inch, 38-Inch Snow

A maximum of 2 to 4 inches of snow is predicted to fall on the city. According to Dutra, snowfall amounts will reach 2 inches in the south and 3 to 6 inches in the north.

A little lake effect may also affect the city on Saturday night through Sunday morning, raising the city's overnight snowfall totals, according to Larry Mowry, an ABC7 Chicago Meteorologist.

20 million Americans, spread across 14 states from California to Michigan, including Chicago, are under a winter weather alert, according to ABC News.

On Friday, there was significant snowfall in southern Wyoming, with Sugar Loaf Campground receiving a total of 38 inches within 24 hours. The area just north of Chicago may experience the heaviest snowfall, with Milwaukee potentially receiving 6 to 12 inches.

Dropping Temperatures in Chicago

Up until the start of the following week, the North and Midwest will experience more cold weather. Many areas of the North, particularly those near the Great Lakes, will experience morning wind chills below zero next week, according to ABC News.

Forecasts for the next few days show that from today's 30 degrees, temperatures will drop through the night and into the next morning until tomorrow night when the temperature plunges to 9 degrees. Monday morning will see a very slight rise but only to 13 degrees only to drop back down to zero on Monday night. From Wednesday's 25 degrees, daytime temperatures will gain momentum to a steady rise until it finally reaches 35 degrees on Tuesday, February 7.

During the night, however, The Weather Channel reports that it will be chilly with temperatures of 5 degrees and rising to 14 degrees until Thursday, February 2.

Health and Activities in Chicago

When it comes to allergens, only dust and dander are at very high levels, with the rest at low levels. By Monday, dust and dander will reach extremely high levels and will remain so until Friday, February 3.

Experts recommend cleaning indoors using vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters. It is also safer to keep allergy medications within reach, according to AccuWeather.