AFTER ONE MORE 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 MAY START AS EARLY AS OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY ACROSS
NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL
EXPAND EAST NEAR OR SOON AFTER DAYBREAK...POSSIBLY BRIEFLY
STARTING AS A RAIN SNOW MIX BEFORE TRANSITIONING OVER TO ALL
SNOW.
BY THURSDAY MORNING...TEMPERATURES WILL BE FALLING THROUGH THE
20S...ALONG WITH INCREASING NORTHWEST WINDS. OCCASIONALLY
MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW...IN TANDEM WITH THE GUSTY WINDS...MAY
REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO A HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES IN THE
MID TO LATE MORNING AND ESPECIALLY INTO THE AFTERNOON. THE AREA
OF SNOW WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING...WITH
THE THURSDAY EVENING COMMUTE LIKELY TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED.
CURRENT FORECAST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE FOR A WIDESPREAD GREATER
THAN TWO INCH SNOWFALL...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS EXPECTED OVER
FAR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...WHERE UP TO FIVE INCHES MAY ACCUMULATE.
SUCH SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WHEN COMBINED WITH THE WINDS AND FALLING
TEMPERATURES COULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO TRAVEL.
OVERNIGHT LOWS ON THURSDAY PLUMMETING TO BETWEEN 10 AND 15
DEGREES 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...INCLUDING
THROUGH AREA AIRPORTS...SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR LATER FORECASTS
AND STATEMENTS.
