(11:00PM – Thursday, January 29th, 2026) Lake effect snow expected this weekend…
⏰Timing…
•Friday Morning – Saturday Evening, January 30-31st.
📍Location…
•Northern & Central Illinois.
❄️Hazards…
•Snowfall accumulation will greatly very over short distances. Snowfall accumulation will range from a dusting to 2″ well inland across portions of Northern and Central Illinois, to as much as 1-3″ to 4-7″ in closer proximity to Lake Michigan.
•Periods of moderate to heavy snow and snowfall rates of 1″/hour+ will be possible at times.
✔️Summary…
•Two distinct rounds of lake effect snow will be likely across portions of the state from Friday morning through Saturday evening. While some of the lake effect snow will push well inland across Northern and Central Illinois, greatest focus will be across portions of Northeastern Illinois and the Chicago area, where greater snowfall accumulation will be possible.
•The first round of lake effect snow will be the most widespread. This round will bring lake effect snow showers to a large portion of Northern and Central Illinois. A widespread dusting of snow, to perhaps up to 2″, will be possible for well inland areas of Northern and Central Illinois with this round. For areas in closer proximity to the lake in Northeastern Illinois, 1-3″ of snow will be possible, locally up to 2-5″.
•The second round of lake effect snow will come in more of the classic fashion, in the form of a single plume. This will take shape Friday evening, then continue through the day on Saturday, eventually ending Saturday evening. While this main band of lake effect snow is likely to waver a bit, between downtown Chicago/Eastern Cook County and Northwestern Indiana, greatest residence time is expected to be in Northwestern Indiana. Thus, highest snowfall accumulation will also be in Northwestern Indiana. With that said, localized snowfall totals, potentially up to 4-7″+, will be possible into far Eastern/Southeastern Cook County.
•As is always the case with lake effect snow, snowfall totals will greatly differ over short distances.
