It's not a crippling snow event, but enough to disrupt the Friday morning commute

 



A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the entire area - N. IL and S. WI - beginning Thursday evening and lasting through Friday afternoon.  Snowfall amounts of 3"-6" still looks on target. 

 

 

 

 

The main low pressure system is spinning through southern California with a slug of moisture lifting north in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.  Currently heavy snow is falling in northern Oklahoma and south central Kansas where snowfall rates of 1" to 2" per hour are possible through the afternoon.  The weather remains quiet across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin with high pressure overhead.

Winter Storm Warnings (shaded in pink) and Winter Storm Watches (shaded in blue) have been issued for the Plains and Midwest with Ice Storm Warnings (shaded in purple) for northern parts of Arkansas.  As of right now the only county under any sort of watch remains Whiteside County where a Winter Storm Watch will go into effect Thursday afternoon.  The system has slowed a bit and this will allow the bulk of snow to fall after dark Thursday with a timeframe right now looking at after 6pm and lasting through 5am Friday morning.  Good news for Thursday travels but not so good news for the Friday morning commute.  Snowfall totals are becoming a little more clearer and while not a crippling snow storm we will see a decent amount.  Preliminary snow totals call for 3"-6" to fall in N. IL and S. WI with lesser amounts towards Indiana and higher amounts downstate and in Iowa.  The storm will have a decent amount of moisture and even a little instability with it so it's possible that thundersnow may occur late Thursday night!  If this were to happen higher snowfall totals would be observed as snowfall rates would increase during that time.  Snow to liquid ratios will remain average ranging from 10:1 to 13:1 meaning whatever snow does fall will have a little weight with it.  Winds will also increase from the southeast causing some blowing and drifting.

The Winter Storm Impact forecast keeps things quiet through Thursday afternoon with the first flakes possibly falling around dinnertime southwest of Rockford towards the Quad Cities.  Snow will increase in coverage from south to north with the heaviest of the snow falling overnight.  Warmer and drier air becomes wrapped into the low from the south with a rise in temperatures expected by Friday morning.  This could create a mix of snow and freezing drizzle for a period before a switch back over to light snow by Friday afternoon.  Stayed tuned for further updates!