Chicago rests on the northern edge of a major winter storm system developing over the southeastern U.S. and forecast to move up the east coast later Wednesday into Thursday. While we could pick up a minor accumulation of an inch or so generally in the city south and east, the major portion of the winter storm will hit the Appalachians north into New England with freezing rain in the southern Appalachians, rain mixed with snow in the Virginia/West Virginia area and then heavy snows of over a foot or more from Pennsylvania into New York and New England.

Once this storm system moves off to the east, winds will pick up out of the SW here boosting temps into the lower 40s Friday. A weak cold front will move through giving cloudiness and a little mixed precipitation Saturday.