Chicago’s temperatures are expected to fall below their seasonal average this week, with wind gusts increasing on Monday.
The temperature on Monday is expected to peak in the 30s and then drop throughout the day, according to forecast models. Northwest winds will contribute to the quick cooling off, which will give the local weather a breezy edge.
Wind chills in the teens will be a concern throughout most of the area, but lake-effect snow and the strongest winds off Lake Michigan won’t affect Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
The National Weather Service uses a particular formula to describe wind chills, which are a reflection of how the air feels outside due to the combination of wind and cold:
35.74 + (0.6215 × Temperature) − (35.75 × Windspeed x 0.16 ) + (0.4275 × T × Windspeed x 0.16) is the result of WindChill.
Luckily for all of us, the NWS website also offers a useful tool for figuring out wind chill.
For instance, Monday’s high temperatures in Chicago are only predicted to reach the low-30s, and there will occasionally be wind gusts exceeding 30 mph.
The NWS calculated that at thirty degrees with 30 miles per hour of wind, the wind chill would be slightly less than fifteen degrees Fahrenheit.
Northwest Indiana will see even worse conditions, with some areas potentially seeing wind gusts of more than 50 mph. In addition, the snowfall caused by the lake effect could bring four to eight inches of snow to the areas close to South Bend.
Thankfully, the cooler weather isn’t predicted to stay long; by midweek, local highs should be back in the mid-40s.