No, there won’t be subzero windchill tonight. National Weather Service investigates false cold weather alert

People who got a cold weather advisory Tuesday afternoon in and around northern Illinois don’t need to reach for the winter gear just yet.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday afternoon it had received reports of people getting a cold weather advisory that included windchills of 20 to 25 degrees below zero for Tuesday evening. The NWS put out word that the advisory “is not valid and we currently investigating” how it happened.

The false advisory covered areas from Dixon in the west out to Valparaiso, Indiana in the east, and from counties bordering Wisconsin in the north down to Paxton, Illinois, north of Champaign, in the south.

In fact, overnight lows Tuesday night in the northern Illinois area were expected to be around 50 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, and no sub-zero wind chills are expected anytime soon. In McHenry County, highs are forecast to be in the low 80s Wednesday, mid 80s on Thursday before dropping into the 70s Friday, National Weather Service Meteorologist David King said.

King said the weather bureau issues a cold weather advisory when wind chills are at 20 below zero and an extreme cold warning when wind chills are at 30 below zero.