‘Wind-whipped' flurries, accumulating snow and hazardous travel possible over Thanksgiving weekend

From wind-whipped flurries, to wind chills in the teens, to the potential for widespread snow, the Thanksgiving week forecast in the Chicago area is giving new meaning to the phrase cold turkey.

The changes are expected to move in overnight Tuesday, the NBC 5 Storm Team said, following a cloudy and foggy day with highs in the low 50s.

“Over the next 24 hours, it will get significantly colder and windier,” NBC 5 Strom Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said.

Beginning at 3 a.m. Wednesday, a wind advisory will go into effect for much of northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana, with frequent gusts as high as 50 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said.

“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects, including holiday decorations,” the advisory said. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles on north to south roads.”

The strongest winds Wednesday will be during the daytime hours, the NWS warned, with sporadic gusts between 55 and 60 mph possible. “Wind-whipped snow showers and flurries” will accompany the winds, the NWS said, along with a 20 degree temperature drop.

The conditions, which come amid one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel seasons on record, could lead to brief, poor visibility on roads, hazardous driving conditions and even power outages, the NWS wrote, with heavier bursts of snow possible north of I-80.

Across the lake, in northwestern Michigan, heavy snow was possible, with as much as 12 inches of snow possible and a winter storm warning going into effect Tuesday through Wednesday night.

Back in Illinois, weather conditions for Thanksgiving will remain chilly and blustery, with a high of 32 degrees and early morning wind chills in the teens.

“Bundle up for morning runs,” the NWS advised Thursday Turkey Trot runners.

Temperatures will remain cold Friday, but winds will subside slightly. By Friday night, snow could develop, Jeanes said, with accumulating snow expected through Saturday and into Sunday morning. The weather conditions could snarl post-holiday travel, starting late Friday night.

“We’re keeping an eye on a potential weekend storm, centered around Saturday,” Jeanes said. An early look at possible snow totals were between three and six inches, Jeanes said, though those numbers could change.

After the holiday weekend, temperatures will drop even lower, with highs in the 20s for the first week of December, Jeanes added.

The cold and snow comes as new weather predictions show potential for an “active” start to December weather and through meteorological winter for 2025-26.

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