Chicago weather: Halloween forecast to be cold, wet, windy

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago weather won't be a treat on Halloween this year, with gusty winds and cold, wet conditions expected on Friday, just as many trick-or-treaters plan to head outdoors.

A cold front will move through the Chicago area Thursday night, leading to a blustery, raw day on Friday, with highs only in the upper 30s or low 40s, ABC7 meteorologist Tracey Butler said.

"Halloween will be certainly no treat, it's going to be brutally cold," Butler said. "Here in Chicago, we're expecting some pretty big wind gusts tomorrow."

The wind chill could even dip into the 20s, according to the National Weather Service, and some of the rain could change to snow showers.

The worst of it will be near Lake Michigan, where thunder is possible and waves could reach up to 20 feet high. The bike path may be impassable in some areas.

In Northwest Indiana, the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter counties from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Friday. Strong winds and snow accumulations of 1 to 2 inches are possible, the weather service said.

According to NWS records, it has snowed five times in Chicago's history on Halloween, but there has never been a measurable amount. The last time it snowed on Halloween was in 1993, when a trace fell.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.