AFTER ANOTHER UNSEASONABLY MILD DAY ON WEDNESDAY...AN ARCTIC
FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND BRING AN
ABRUPT END TO THE MILD AND DRY WEATHER.
PRECIPITATION WILL START WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACROSS NORTHWEST AND
NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SPREAD EAST OVERNIGHT...POSSIBLY
STARTING AS A RAIN SNOW MIX BEFORE TRANSITIONING OVER TO ALL SNOW
AS TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING.
BY THURSDAY MORNING...TEMPERATURES WILL BE FALLING THROUGH THE
20S...ALONG WITH INCREASING NORTHWEST WINDS. THE COMBINATION OF
FALLING SNOW AND WINDS GUSTING UP TO 30 MILES PER HOUR WILL
LIKELY LEAD TO A HAZARDOUS MORNING COMMUTE. OCCASIONALLY MODERATE
TO HEAVY SNOW...IN TANDEM WITH THE GUSTY WINDS...MAY REDUCE
VISIBILITIES TO A HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. THE AREA OF SNOW
WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING...BUT THE
THURSDAY EVENING COMMUTE WILL LIKELY BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED AS
WELL. CURRENT FORECAST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE FOR A WIDESPREAD
GREATER THAN 2 INCH SNOWFALL...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS EXPECTED
OVER FAR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...WHERE UP TO 5 INCHES MAY ACCUMULATE.
OVERNIGHT LOWS PLUMMETING TO BETWEEN 10 AND 15 DEGREES ON THURSDAY
NIGHT AND WESTERLY WINDS CONTINUING TO GUST TO 25 TO 30 MPH WILL
RESULT IN MINIMUM WIND CHILL VALUES OF ROUGHLY 0 TO 5 BELOW ZERO.
FURTHER UPDATES AND REFINEMENTS TO THE FORECAST ARE LIKELY...SO
PERSONS PLANNING TRAVEL ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY SHOULD CLOSELY
MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS.
