Blizzard For Denver, But 40s Again For Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The temperature will be cooling down in Chicago Friday evening, and there could be a little rain or even a flurry or two overnight.
But that's nothing compared with the situation in Denver.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Megan Galros says we can expect another day with unseasonably warm highs in Chicago Friday. The temperature had already climbed to the upper 30s across the area during the 11 a.m. hour, and the high for the day is 47 degrees.
Conditions will be partly sunny, with pleasant east-northeast winds at 5-10 mph.
Overnight, the low drops to 35 degrees, with a 20 percent chance of rain that will remain largely in areas to the south. Given the cooling temperature, a few flurries could be mixed in.
On Saturday, spotty showers are expected earlier in the day, with conditions growing progressively sunnier and the high reaching 41. In the coming week, the high will drop to 36 on Wednesday, but temperatures are expected to remain above average for the foreseeable future.
The rain and possible flurries that may come Friday night are on the tail end of the blizzard now hitting Denver, technically called a "Panhandle Hooker" (yes, that's what it's called.) Such systems are so called because they start around the Texas Panhandle and push their way south.
Denver is expected to see snow at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour for the day, and totals could pile up to 22 inches – more than Chicago saw a year ago in the infamous Blizzard of 2011.
Southwest Airlines has canceled all its flights through 4 p.m. Friday at Denver International Airport. A total of 300 flights have been canceled so far.
Altogether, about 600 flights were canceled at the airport, although it remains open.
