After an unseasonably mild end to 2024, the Chicago area will ring in the new year with weather that feels much more like winter.
Temperatures hovered above freezing Tuesday afternoon, but overnight they were expected to drop below freezing, into the low 20s, according to the National Weather Service. At midnight, gusty winds will send wind chills into the upper teens.
Beginning Wednesday, temperatures would remain "seasonably cold," likely for the first two weeks of the new year, said Gino Izzi, meteorologist at NWS.
After an unseasonably mild end to 2024, 2025 will come in feeling much more like winter. Highs will generally be in the 20s through the upcoming weekend with some snow expected south of I-80 Thu afternoon and evening. pic.twitter.com/Mmmp1UhkKH
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 31, 2024
A few flurries were possible Wednesday morning with temps just above freezing in the high 20s, but at night they would drop down to the upper teens.
On Thursday, temps are forecast to once again reach the upper 20s with a slightly higher chance of snow, Izzi said. However, about an inch or two of snow was likely to accumulate south of I-80.
