Winds over 50 mph and a wintry mix of rain and snow created hazardous road conditions for commuters Monday morning as temperatures plummeted in the Chicago area.
Temperatures fell up to 50 degrees over 12 hours, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Kluber. At O’Hare Airport, the temperature went from 56 degrees Sunday afternoon to 14 degrees early Monday morning.
Wind gusts peaked at 53 mph at O’Hare and at 49 mph at Midway Airport, according to the weather service. Meanwhile, Monday morning snow showers created slick roads with low visibility in some areas.
“As you have much warmer air really pushing north, then that means there’s probably some arctic air coming in from Canada,” Kluber said. “As the warm air gets all the way up to the metro area this far north, you then have that cold front that swings on back right behind that.
“That kind of helps feed into the storm system and make it a little stronger. That’s why we’re seeing as much wind as we are here as well.”
Two clipper systems will move across the area, the first on Tuesday and the second on Wednesday. Each will bring a chance of light snow accumulations and associated travel impacts. Otherwise, expect seasonably cold conditions as we head into 2026. #ILWX #INWX pic.twitter.com/NUIGDUuoCq
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 29, 2025
Subzero wind chills parked over the area Monday morning as snow showers began to taper off. Westerly winds are expected to slowly diminish throughout the day, the weather service said.
Here’s a graphic with an estimated time for snow showers ending this morning. Strong wind gusts will continue into the afternoon along with some non-accumulating flurries. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/Kg8DfmW5iC
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 29, 2025
Tuesday will be breezy with expected winds of up to 25 mph and evening snow north of Interstate 80, the weather service said.
Two fast-moving winter weather systems are expected to move across Chicago, one on Tuesday and another on New Year’s Eve, the weather service said. Both will bring a chance of light snow and potential travel impacts, the weather service said. High temps Wednesday will be 29-33 degrees and the low temps at night will be 7-14 degrees.