A seemingly relentless series of severe storms, likely with deadly tornadoes, are forecast to rip across parts of America’s Midwest and South over the next couple weeks, especially Friday, meteorologists said.

Chicago will dodge the worst of a storm system whose track has stymied meteorologists as it's approached the region.

At some point Friday, it will probably rain or snow, but how much of which form of precipitation will fall, and where, forecasters still can’t say with confidence.

The big story was the amount of rain that fell in the Chicago region: There have only been seven wetter Februarys since 1871.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday in the Chicago area. Slippery pavement will be a bigger issue than snow accumulation.

Lingering lake effect snow could make the evening rush hour an equal exercise in patience, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service is trackiThe National Weather Service is tracking a storm set to hit late Tuesday, with peak snowfall during Wednesday morning’s commute. The greatest snow totals are expected east of I-55 and south of I-80.ng a storm set to hit late Tuesday, with peak snowfall during Wednesday morning's commute. The greatest snow totals are expected east of I-55 and south of I-80.

The snow total from Thursday was a mere 1.3 inches at O'Hare (though northwest Indiana and lower Michigan have been hammered with lake effect), but the real danger of this system was always the wind and cold, meteorologists said.

Unless you live in a year-round warm climate and plan to stay there, it’s important to know how winter storms behave, how to avoid and prepare for them, and heaven forbid, what to do in the worst-case scenario.

What will be the hallmark of the impending Christmas blizzard of 2022? Probably not a lot of snow, but that’s not what blizzards are about anyway.

A winter weather advisory went into effect Tuesday morning for much of the Chicago region, a far cry from last week's balmy 70-degree temperatures.

The forecast calls for highs in the mid-70s on Thursday, which could approach the date's record high of 75 degrees set in 2020.

A strong system is moving into the area late Friday, bringing with it waves of showers on Saturday morning and wind gusts that could top 50 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

It wasn't exactly a winter wonderland, but the first snowflakes of the season were recorded Monday morning at O'Hare, according to the National Weather Service.

About 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate southwest Florida before the storm hit the coast with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. It was heading inland, where it was expected to weaken, at about 9 mph, but residents in central Florida could still experience hurricane-force winds.

Ian was forecast to hit the western tip of Cuba as a major hurricane and then become an even stronger Category 4 with top winds of 140 mph over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before striking Florida. As of Monday, Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.