Chicago Freezing Rain Advisory: 'Ice Storm' To Snarl Roadways, Possibly Cause Power Outages

The National Weather Service has issued a freezing rain advisory for the Chicago area lasting through 9 p.m. Sunday ahead of a storm system that is anticipated to arrive in the area early in the afternoon.

According to NBC Chicago, a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet is expected to turn to rain by Sunday evening in Chicago as temperatures in the area slowly rise above freezing.

The cold temperatures of the ground the rain will hit, however, means that the rain will turn to ice, leaving more than a quarter inch slippery glaze on sidewalks , trees and power lines alike, ABC Chicago reports.

The freezing rain was previously expected to arrive in the Chicago area late Sunday morning, but the dry air covering northern Illinois will take some time to become saturated and allow precipitation to hit the ground, according to the Chicago Weather Center.

The expected ice accumulation is not enough to technically qualify the system as an ice storm, but will be a nuisance nonetheless. The Illinois Department of Transportation is advising drivers to stay off the roads Sunday afternoon if they can do so.

The storm system is arriving ahead of a week that will see yet another bizarre swing of weather ranging from an expected high of 60 degrees on Tuesday to a high of just 21 degrees two days later, on Thursday.