A quiet, dry day is in store for the Chicago area Thursday, but things will start to change overnight as lake effect snow begins to build in western Michigan, leading to a "prolonged" period of snow for northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana Friday and Saturday.

Bursts of lake-effect snow could drop several inches of snow on parts of Chicago area Friday and Saturday.

Friday morning snow squalls in the Chicago weather forecast could make the commute extremely dangerous and result in 1 to 3 inches of accumulation before Northwest Indiana gets clobbered by lake effect snow this weekend.

Wrapped in four layers and armed with a drone, a Chicago Sun-Times photojournalist braved the brutal temps to capture delicate pancake ice swirling beneath the cold gaze of Chicago's skyline.