Chance For Heavy Snow Prompts Winter Weather Watch In Northern, Western Suburbs

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Expecting as much as 7 inches of snow in some outlying suburbs, the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather watch for 17 counties north and west of Chicago, from Friday night through early Saturday afternoon.

Forecasters expected a mix of rain and snow to begin early Friday evening, and as temperatures continue to drop, to switch over to all snow through mid-afternoon on Saturday, with heavy snowfall at times.

The winter weather watch covers Lake, Kane, McHenry, DeKalb, Winnebago, and 13 other counties in northern Illinois.

Accumulations could reach 4 to 7 inches in those areas by the time the snow ends.

In the city, and further south (generally, south of I-88) accumulations likely will be only 1 to 4 inches. A breeze off Lake Michigan will keep temperatures slightly warmer near the lake, and keep accumulations down, so the city likely will end up with no more than a couple inches of snow.

If temperatures stay warmer a bit longer than expected, of if the storm system shifts north a little, the Chicago area might not get much snow, if any. However, if the system shifts south a little, the entire area could get a few inches of snow.

Once the snow is done, the rest of the weekend will be unseasonably cold, with a high of only about 35 on Saturday afternoon, before dropping to a frigid 21 overnight. Sunday will reach only about 33 degrees, but Monday should bring a return to the 40s.

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