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Weather Forecast: Wind Chill Warning Issued, Feels Like Temp Of 55 Below Possible

(CBS) -- The Chicago weather forecast is unlike any seen 25 years. That's the last time temperatures reached 20 below zero, or lower.

Cold air is rushing in as a burst of snow Monday evening tapers off slowly. Be aware as strong winds may create blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas. The cold air could freeze moisture lingering on surfaces after the snow.

A wind chill warning has been issued for the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana as temperatures are expected to plunge to 21 below zero on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and not rise above zero until Thursday.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday in northern Illinois and until midnight Monday for Lake and Porter counties and Northwest Indiana.

A Wind Chill Advisory goes into effect Tuesday morning from 4 a.m. until 6 p.m. Wind chills could reach below 30 degrees.

On Wednesday night, it is expected to be even colder, with a low of 23 below. Both of those lows would rank among the coldest all time for Chicago. Wind chills will range between 30 and 55 below zero.

very cold graph
(CBS)
warning timeline
(CBS)

 

The counties outlined in red are affected by the wind chill warning, which starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday and ends at noon on Thursday. A wind chill advisory will be in effect before then on Tuesday.

warning wind chill
(National Weather Service)

The low overnight on Tuesday/Wednesday morning could hit 21 below zero, which would equal one of the 15 coldest days in Chicago history.

Wednesday's forecast high of 14 below zero would set a record for the coldest high temperature ever.

Temps on Tuesday and Wednesday could set records for the day.

The worst-ever wind chill happened on Christmas Eve 1983: minus 57, adjusted for a new wind chill formula adopted about 15 years ago. Under the old formula, the chill was recorded at minus 82.

A Wind Chill Warning means the combination of very cold air and the wind will create dangerously low wind chill values. Frostbite can occur quickly and even hypothermia or death if precautions are not taken.

Temperatures are expected to rise to 43 degrees on Sunday--a nearly 100 degree turnaround from the expected wind chill readings on Wednesday.

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