Winter Storm Update

Our first winter storm of the season is on our doorstep, but it won't exactly feel winter-like at first. Here's a complete timetable of what the Rockford Metro area will experience over the next 24-36 hours.

Rain moves in this evening with a few snowflakes mixing in as temps dip into the mid 30s. Temps actually warm into the upper 30s overnight, meaning all rain after midnight... maybe even a rumble of thunder. Areas to our far north and west (Iowa to central Wisconsin) will more than likely see all snow during the overnight.

All this rain will eventually turn to heavy, wet snow on Thursday... starting to our west and moving east as the day progresses. For Rockford, this switchover will take place around midday. Afternoon winds pick up quite a bit with wind gusts around 50mph, which will blow around whatever snow is on the ground. This will cause limited visibilities and brief blizzard conditions through the day. A rumble of thunder is still possible through the afternoon. Heavy snow and strong winds are expected to continue through the evening.

There are a number of warnings out. With the exception of some Blizzard Warnings already in effect to our west, most of these warnings do not kick in until Thursday morning. The majority of northern Illinois is under a Winter Storm Warning, with Jo Daviess and southern Wisconsin under a Blizzard Warning.

Snow totals will vary, but the heaviest snow will be to our north and west. Areas under the Winter Storm Warning will generally see 4-7" of total accumulation by Friday morning. If we get any thunder, those areas will see higher totals. Areas under the Blizzard Warning will generally see 8-12" of accumulation. Isolated areas closer to central Iowa and central Wisconsin could see more.

Stay with the First Warn Weather team for the latest on this developing storm!