Here’s when we expect to see snow start to fall

CHICAGO – The calendar may say fall, but Chicago is in for its first taste of winter Tuesday.

The season’s first snowstorm is moving in, and a winter weather advisory has been issued for the Chicago area starting at 6a on Tuesday and ending 6a Wednesday morning.

Tom Skilling and the WGN weather team predict the first sticking snow will start falling in Chicago between 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesday — and even earlier west and south of the city. But it will take a little while for the snow to start sticking since the ground is still pretty warm.

The snow will likely transition to a wintry mix and even rain throughout the day as temperatures rise briefly above freezing– but one to four inches of snow is possible by the time this is all over.

Skilling says parts of the Northwest suburbs will most likely see the most snow with up to four inches, with the southwest suburbs likely looking at two to three inches and the city possibly getting an inch due to the urban heat island of Chicago and the lake water itself which is still in the low 50s.

No matter where you live, it’s going to be a potentially messy and slushy commute and drivers are advised to plan ahead and leave early.