Chicago, IL — A powerful lake-effect snow event is bearing down on the city early Monday morning, with meteorologists warning that snowfall could reach 3 inches per hour or more — rates fast enough to overwhelm plows and cause near-zero visibility. The National Weather Service has described the situation as “dangerous to nearly impossible travel conditions” across Cook County, Illinois.
Narrow but Intense Snow Band
The snow band forming over Lake Michigan is expected to be extremely narrow — only about 10 miles wide — yet capable of producing double-digit totals if it stalls over the same area. Temperatures are forecast to plunge into the mid-20s, creating the perfect setup for thundersnow, blowing snow, and gusts up to 35 mph.
“The placement of this narrow band will make all the difference — some neighborhoods could see only a few inches, while others might be digging out from a foot or more,” forecasters explained.
By midnight, Chicago Midway Airport was already reporting heavy blowing snow, while spotters in northwest Indiana near Valparaiso measured 6 inches in just two hours. Videos from downtown Chicago also captured flashes of thundersnow, a rare winter phenomenon where lightning occurs during intense snowstorms.
Historic Potential for the Windy City
The potential for this storm to enter the record books is real. Chicago hasn’t recorded a 10-inch snowfall since January 2021, and the last time that happened in November was back in 2015. The city’s all-time November record still stands at 12 inches, set in 1895.
If the current lake-effect band lingers into mid-morning Monday, forecasters say parts of the metro area could approach or even exceed those historic marks.
Meteorologists told local stations that “this event has the ingredients to rival some of Chicago’s strongest early-season snowstorms.”
Arctic Blast Expands Across the Nation
This snowstorm is part of a massive Arctic air mass sweeping across the eastern two-thirds of the United States. It’s more than just a routine cold front — meteorologists are calling it a “full-scale polar plunge.”
By Monday morning, temperatures will drop to the coldest levels since spring for tens of millions of Americans. The chill extends far south, with freezing lows possible in Texas, Louisiana, and northern Florida.
Cities like Atlanta are expected to experience one of their sharpest temperature drops in years — from nearly 70°F on Sunday to the upper 30s Monday, and possibly into the upper 20s by Tuesday morning.
“We’d expect to see this kind of cold in mid-January, not the first half of November,” one meteorologist noted.
Record Cold Possible from the South to the East Coast
The National Weather Service warns that daily record lows could be broken across the Southeast, including Birmingham and Huntsville (AL), Baton Rouge (LA), Savannah (GA), Tampa, and Fort Myers (FL).
Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., and New York City will also feel the brunt of the Arctic surge, with morning lows near 30°F and wind chills in the 20s. Chicago, however, remains the focal point due to how the Arctic air interacts with the warmer lake waters, fueling the ongoing snow burst.
Snow Beyond Chicago
Other regions downwind of the Great Lakes will also see accumulating snow, though not as intense. The west slopes of the central Appalachians could receive several inches Monday, especially in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee’s higher elevations.
The cold won’t last long, though. Temperatures across the Midwest will begin to rebound Tuesday, and most of the East Coast should warm back up by midweek.
“It’s a brutal start to the week, but the deep freeze will be short-lived,” meteorologists said.
What are your thoughts on this early-season winter blast? Share your experiences and weather updates in the comments below.
