Highs are expected to be 0 degrees on Friday in Chicago

After seeing the upcoming forecast, Chicagoans are officially wondering: "Why do we live here again?” 

The light snow that drifted through the area earlier today is on its way out and the winter weather advisory has been canceled. But don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. What’s coming next is the coldest air of the season, barreling in late tomorrow and settling in just in time for the weekend.

Today, you’ll see mostly cloudy skies and highs flirting with 30 degrees. Tonight brings another quick-hitting disturbance, with gusty snow showers that could leave a fresh coating of up to half an inch in some spots. But once those flurries wrap up, temperatures drop into the teens, setting the stage for what’s ahead.

Thursday stays mostly cloudy and cold, topping out in the low 20s, but it’s Thursday night when things turn genuinely hostile as a polar front sweeps through, pushing temperatures well below zero by Friday morning and introducing the coldest air Chicago has seen all season.

On Friday, highs are expected to be around zero degrees, even with some sunshine. Overnight lows could drop to 10 below zero or worse in some areas. Add in strong winds and wind chills could plunge to a brutal -35 degrees. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Watch for the entire Chicago area from midnight Friday through noon Saturday, with the possibility of it being upgraded to a warning. (To put that into perspective, meteorologists warn frostbite can develop on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes at those wind chill levels.)

Friday night into Saturday morning remains bitterly cold, with Saturday highs struggling to reach the upper single digits. Sunday improves only slightly, with highs creeping into the mid-teens. There’s also a big wildcard in the weekend forecast. One weather model suggests Chicago could catch part of a snow and ice system that’s tracking across the southern U.S., while another shows it missing the city entirely. It will definitely be something to watch, but the cold is the real headline regardless.

Layer up, limit time outdoors and check on your neighbors and pets. The snow may be light, but the cold will be heavy.