CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — A winter storm could potentially grow into a powerful nor’easter, striking the Northeast this weekend, bringing with it the possibility of heavy snow and strong winds.
An area of low pressure will develop off the Carolina coast Friday night and could intensify rapidly on Saturday; however, its exact path and potential impact are subject to change.
In the Northeast, coastal areas are forecast to experience heavy snow — Boston and Portland are projected for a 70-90% chance of at least three inches on Saturday into Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Wind chill warnings are stretching from the Dakotas to Ohio. Currently, it feels like minus 33 degrees in Duluth, Minnesota. It’s a little warmer in Cincinnati, where it feels like six degrees.
The northwesterly flow surrounding the arctic high will supply frigid conditions to the Hudson Valley, New York area. Due to wind chills, It will feel more like -5 to 0 in the Hudson Valley and Southwest Connecticut, while wind chills will be in the single digits and teens for the rest of the tri-state region.
Meanwhile, Chicagoans were blasted with frigid temperatures on Tuesday and again Wednesday morning amid a pretty mild winter. As a result, a wind chill advisory is in effect until noon.
Chicago is expected to have a high of 12 degrees and a low of 9 degrees with wind chills in the negatives until the afternoon. Thursday warms up to a high of 29 degrees.
Some schools in the area have closed due to the extreme cold. However, Chicago Public Schools remain open.
While spending a few minutes at a time in the freezing weather can be uncomfortable, it’s a different story when you cannot escape it. So officials are warning residents to stay safe and look out for the symptoms of frostbite.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says to look out for redness or pain in any skin that be my exposed. Other frostbite and hypothermia symptoms can be found on the CDC website.
Wind chills were as low as -25 degrees in some parts of the area.
NewsNation affiliates WGN and WPIX contributed to this report.
