Snow makes its way back to the area Friday

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Updated: February 9, 2012 5:00PM

Feeling a chill in the air? Snow will be back as soon as Friday when lake effect snow could hit the city and Northwest Indiana with six inches.

A lake effect snow watch will be in effect from Friday afternoon through Saturday afernoon for Cook and Will counties in Illinois, and for Porter and Lake counties in Indiana, the National Weather Service said.

It’s expected to develop early Friday afternoon and continue through Friday night and into Saturday morning before shifting east of the watch area. The initial snow showers should begin along the Illinois shore but will then shift more into Lake and Porter counties from Friday night into Saturday.

The weather service says while lake effect snow can be highly localized, more than six inches of snow are possible from Chicago southeast into Indiana.

And with the snow will come some bitter wind chills. The high for Friday will reach 32 degrees but will dip to a blustery 17 degrees at night.

A lake effect snow watch means there is a potential for a large amount of snow in only a few hours. Visibilities and depth can vary, and may impact travel significantly, the weather service warns.