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Temperatures To Plunge Back Below Zero After Latest Snowfall

CHICAGO (STMW) -- After a snowy Saturday, the latest winter weather assault is expected to hit the Chicago area tonight with temperatures plunging back below zero in one of the coldest seasons on record.

A wind chill advisory is set to go into effect from midnight through 11 a.m. Monday for all of northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana, as bitter northwest winds make overnight lows hovering around zero degrees feel as cold as 30 below, according to the National Weather Service.

The frigid temperatures are expected to linger through the first half of the week. Highs on Monday and Tuesday aren't expected to crack 12 degrees before Wednesday brings relative relief, topping out at 23 degrees, NWS forecasters said.

With subzero lows possible on three days next week, Chicago could be making a run for the highest number of subzero lows in one season, which was set more than a century ago at 25. The mercury has dipped below zero 19 times in Chicago so far this winter, well above the average of seven, weather service records indicate.

Forecasters urged people to stay inside if possible, with hypothermia and frostbite setting in after less than 20 minutes of exposure.

The severe weather continued to cause problems on roadways.

The city Dept. of Streets and Sanitation redeployed 200 snow plows and salt spreaders Sunday morning after 2 to 4 inches of snow piled up on Saturday, spokeswoman Molly Poppe said.

Illinois State Police issued a winter weather travel advisory for Sunday, with ice patches and snow drifts making for hazardous conditions on Interstate 57 in Kankakee, Iroquois and Ford counties.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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