A powerful late-season winter storm is expected to bring blizzard conditions to parts of northern Illinois overnight, with snow and strong winds creating dangerous travel conditions ahead of the Monday morning commute.

The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for DeKalb County and McHenry County from 10 p.m. Sunday until 1 p.m. Monday.

Officials are urging residents to avoid travel unless necessary.

“A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring,” the weather service said. “Falling and blowing snow with strong winds are likely, leading to whiteout conditions and extremely dangerous travel.”

Blizzard conditions also expected in western Illinois

Another Blizzard Warning remains in effect for parts of western Illinois and eastern Iowa through early Monday afternoon.

According to the National Weather Service Quad Cities, communities including Princeton, Sterling, Geneseo and Rock Island could see 4 to 9 inches of snow with wind gusts approaching 50 mph.

The combination of falling and blowing snow could lead to near-zero visibility at times, making travel hazardous or impossible overnight and into Monday morning.

Winter Weather Advisory for surrounding counties

In addition to the blizzard warnings, a Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect from 10 p.m. Sunday to 1 p.m. Monday for several nearby counties, including La Salle County, Kane County, DuPage County, Kendall County, and parts of Cook County.

Those areas could see 1 to 4 inches of snow, but strong winds gusting up to 45 mph could still create blowing snow and slick road conditions.

Bridges and overpasses are expected to become especially hazardous overnight as temperatures drop.

Bitter cold to follow

Behind the storm system, much colder air will surge into northern Illinois on Monday.

High temperatures may struggle to reach the low 20s, while strong northwest winds could make it feel closer to the single digits.

Wind chills could drop to 5 to 10 below zero Monday night into Tuesday morning.