Prepare for hazardous travel, 3 to 6 inches of snow under Saturday winter weather advisory in northern Illinois

A winter weather advisory will go into effect for most of Saturday and could bring between 3 and 6 inches of snow in northern Illinois, especially north of Interstate 88, according to the National Weather Service.

The advisory will be in effect from 9 a.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday for Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Lake, Ogle, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage and parts of Cook counties.

Drivers should prepare for hazardous, slippery travel throughout most of the day and into the night, with the steadiest snowfall expected Saturday afternoon into the evening, according to the alert.

Visibility on roads likely will be as low as 1 mile at times.

Friday’s wintery mix didn’t add much accumulation to the snowfall totals the week has brought.

National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack said much of the precipitation was done by mid-afternoon Friday, although more is on the way.

The National Weather Service encourages motorists to remember that even small amounts of snow can lead to dangerous road conditions.

Drivers are urged to use caution and take it slow while out and about, as reduced visibility could occur. Yack said overpasses and rural roads left untreated could see more snow cover and slick spots.

Temperatures remained cold Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service, with morning highs around the region in the teens and 20s that reached up to the 30s by the afternoon.

Higher snowfall totals Saturday will reach residents closer to the Illinois-Wisconsin border, Yack said.

“As of right now, things have kind of still been quite uncertain exactly where the heaviest bands are going to set up,” Yack said Friday morning. “Areas kind of north of I-80 and north of I-88 look to be good snowfall potential right now. We’re looking at the potential to see anywhere from 3 inches or more in some spots.”

Counties south of the interstates could see snow and also possibly a mix of freezing rain, Yack said.

“[It’s] definitely not a good travel day,” Yack said of Saturday’s forecast. “Things look to get underway probably early to mid-morning [Saturday] and continue on really through most of the day, and could continue to [Saturday] evening and in some spots overnight into Sunday as well.”

Northern Illinois residents should prepare for 12 to 24 hours of snowfall Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather forecast follows scattered snow showers this week that brought a wintry mix to the region Wednesday, followed by some more scattered snowfall Thursday. Although temperatures were colder Thursday, a warmup is expected over the weekend before temperatures throughout the region likely dip again next week.

Residents throughout northern Illinois should prepare for overnight lows close to zero degrees going into early next week, and possibly even subzero overnight temperatures by Wednesday.