Not Out of the Woods: Extreme Cold, Snow, Wind Continues Well Into Next Week

Just when you thought we might get some reprieve from the bitter cold bearing down on the Chicago area, the National Weather Service has issued another alert for "dangerously cold wind chills" for Thursday night into Friday morning.

"Temperatures will cool once again tonight to several degrees below zero, with sustained winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour and gusts increasing overnight to 25 miles per hour," according to a hazardous weather outlook issued by the National Weather Service Thursday afternoon. The forecast applies to the entire Chicago metropolitan area and northeast Indiana.

Wind chills are expected to hit -20 to -30 tonight, Thursday, and -15 to -25 Friday morning.

Friday night and Saturday will feel like a heat wave. There is an 80 percent chance of snow Friday night with a low of 19; the high Saturday is expected to reach 22.

But expect more warnings to be issued next week, when it gets even colder: Monday's high is forecast at 0, low at -14—not including the wind chill factor.

Here's the forecast:

• Thursday night: Mostly clear, low around -9, wind chills at -27
• Friday: Blowing snow after noon. Increasing clouds with a high near 24. Wind chill values will be as low as -24 with wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour in the afternoon. Snow will develop late, 1 to 3 inches possible, low around 19.
• Saturday: Blowing snow, high of 22 during the day, 70 percent chance of snow Saturday night, mainly after midnight with a low of 4.
• Sunday: Snow likely during the day, high near 26, dropping to -4 Sunday night.
• Monday: Mostly sunny, high near 0, low -14
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, high near 3, low -7
• Wednesday: High near 10