Look out the window. If you're in the Loop or hanging out in Lincoln Park today, Saturday, January 17, 2026, you’ve probably noticed the sky looks like a wet wool blanket. It’s gray. It’s cold. And yeah, the flakes are finally starting to fly again.
But honestly? This isn’t the "Snowpocalypse" the grocery store panic-buyers were whispering about at Jewel-Osco yesterday.
Currently, it’s a biting 17°F outside. With that west wind cutting across the city at 13 mph, the "feels like" temperature has tanked to a miserable 3°F. If you’re heading out, the chicago weather forecast snow situation is basically a series of "nuisance" events rather than one massive wallop. We’re looking at a 20% chance of snow showers for the rest of today with a high of only 20°F.
The Weekend Breakdown: It’s More About the Ice
Yesterday, Friday, was actually the "big" day for this specific stretch, with about a 70% chance of snow that left things pretty slick. Today and tomorrow are just the leftovers.
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- Saturday (Today): Snow showers are scattered. High of 20°F, low of 14°F. Don't expect to shovel much, but do expect your windshield to be a frozen mess.
- Sunday: We’re looking at more of the same. Afternoon snow showers are likely (around a 25% chance). Highs will hover near 22°F.
- The MLK Day "Flash Freeze": Monday, January 19, is when things get weird. The snow mostly stops, the sun might even peek out, but the temperature is going to crater. We’re talking a high of 8°F and a low of 6°F. If there’s slush on the ground Sunday night, it will be solid concrete by Monday morning.
Why This Winter Feels Different
There’s a reason your neighbor is complaining more than usual. This 2025-2026 season has been, for lack of a better word, aggressive.
By December 7th of this season, Chicago had already recorded 17.1 inches of snow. To put that in perspective, that’s almost exactly what we got during the entire previous winter (2024-2025), which saw only 17.6 inches total. We are currently tracking the quickest start to winter since 1978. National Weather Service (NWS) data shows we’ve had multiple "warning-level" events already, including a nasty morning snow squall just a few days ago on January 14th.
The Soldier Field Factor
If you’re a sports fan, you’ve probably heard the chatter about the Bears vs. Rams divisional clash. Tom Brady was even on FOX Sports talking about how this Chicago cold "softens" quarterbacks who move to warmer climates. He’s not wrong. While the snow chance for the actual game time is hovering at a low 1%, the wind is the real killer.
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Matthew Stafford is used to the California sun or the controlled environment of a dome. Chicago in January doesn't care about your stats. When you're dealing with sub-zero wind chills, muscle memory slows down. The ball feels like a brick.
What to Expect Next Week
The chicago weather forecast snow doesn't really take a break, it just changes intensity. Tuesday night (Jan 20) sees the chance of snow showers jump back up to 35%. Wednesday brings light snow again with a high of 28°F.
It’s a "death by a thousand cuts" kind of forecast. You won't get 10 inches at once, but you’ll probably have to brush off your car every single morning for the next five days.
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How to Handle This
Stop looking for the "one big storm." In Chicago, the danger is usually the cumulative ice and the plummeting temperatures after a light dusting.
- Check your tires now. Not when the next 3 inches fall. The drop to 8°F on Monday will deflate your tire pressure faster than you think.
- Layers over Bulk. The wind is hitting from the West and Northwest at 15-20 mph. A giant puffer jacket is okay, but a windproof shell over wool is what actually stops the "3°F feels like" from reaching your skin.
- Salt early. With 20% chances of snow showers daily through the weekend, a light layer of salt prevents that bottom layer of ice from bonding to your sidewalk.
Keep an eye on the lake-effect variables. While the current forecast shows light accumulation, a shift in wind direction can turn a "20% chance of showers" into a localized 4-inch dump for the North Side in a matter of two hours.