Chicago weather is basically a mood ring that someone accidentally dropped in a freezer. One day you’re seeing record-breaking 60-degree warmth like we just had on January 9th, and then—bam—you're staring at a white wall during a snow squall. Honestly, if you live here, you've probably learned to keep a parka and a light jacket in your car simultaneously. It’s just how the 2025-2026 season is rolling.
Right now, for Friday, January 16, 2026, the weather forecast in chicago illinois is showing a bit of a split personality. We're looking at a high of 34°F today, which sounds okay until you realize the low is dipping down to 18°F tonight. But the real story isn't the number on the thermometer; it’s the snow. There is a 58% chance of snow during the day and it doesn't quite quit when the sun goes down, though the chance drops to 20% tonight.
The Squall That Changed Everything
Remember Wednesday? Most of us were just trying to get to work when that morning snow squall hit. It was wild. One minute you’re driving down the Kennedy, and the next, visibility is basically zero—like 100 feet or less. The National Weather Service (NWS) had to fire off those screaming emergency alerts on everyone's phones.
That wasn't just "some snow." It was a flash freeze. Temperatures dropped nearly 8 degrees in just 30 minutes. At Midway, they clocked gusts at 47 mph while O’Hare saw 43 mph. When people talk about Chicago being the Windy City, this is the kind of stuff they actually mean—not politics, just raw, biting lake-effect power.
Why This January is Weird
We’re currently in a weak La Niña pattern. Traditionally, that means we get more "wetter" winters rather than just bone-dry cold. This year is proving that point aggressively.
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- Flash Flooding: Back on January 8th, O’Hare recorded 1.92 inches of rain. That broke a record from 1935. You don't usually see "Flash Flood" and "January" in the same sentence in Illinois, but 2026 isn't playing by the rules.
- Temperature Swings: We tied a 146-year-old record with that 60-degree midnight peak on January 9th.
- Snow Volume: By early December, we already hit 17.1 inches of snow. That’s nearly the entire total for the previous winter season.
What to Expect This Weekend
If you’re heading out tonight or Saturday, keep an eye on the wind. It’s coming from the southwest at about 16 mph right now, which keeps the "feels like" temperature much lower than the actual 25°F we’re seeing at night.
Is more snow coming? Sorta. The "clippers" are the main thing to watch. These fast-moving systems are dropping 1 to 2 inches at a time rather than one big dump. It makes the weather forecast in chicago illinois feel like a constant game of "should I salt the driveway again?"
Staying Safe on the Skyway and Beyond
The NWS is already warning about an arctic front pushing in after today's brief "mild" 34-degree peak. This is going to usher in a much colder, more active pattern for the rest of the month. If you are driving into Northwest Indiana, it's a different world. Porter and LaPorte counties are getting hammered with heavy lake-effect snow—sometimes 2 to 3 inches an hour.
Basically, the "lake-effect machine" is turned all the way up. Even if it’s just cloudy in the Loop, you could hit a wall of snow once you pass the Skyway.
Actionable Next Steps for Chicagoans:
- Check the "Feels Like" Temp: Don't trust the 34°F high. With 16 mph winds, the wind chill will stay in the teens or low 20s.
- Top Off the Washer Fluid: The salt spray on I-90 is brutal right now. You’ll go through a gallon faster than you think.
- Update Your Alerts: If you turned off those Snow Squall Warnings because they were annoying on Wednesday, turn them back on. They’re the only thing that gives you a 15-minute heads-up before visibility vanishes.
- Watch for Ice: With the humidity hovering around 83% today and temperatures dropping to 18°F tonight, any damp spots from today's 58% snow chance will turn into black ice by tomorrow morning’s coffee run.