*Potential* Winter Storm Next Week: Don't Change Any Plans Just Yet

...And I want to stress the word *potential*!  There's been a lot of talk recently about the potential for a major winter storm to move into the Midwest late next week.  In fact, it was first pointed out Wednesday morning that two possible systems could affect the Stateline with an active weather pattern beginning to take shape.

Before you begin to change/cancel any plans for next week let's remember that this system is a week away and things will change.  The storm system in question remains well off shore in the North Pacific and is being sampled by a very limited amount of observational data.  It will take likely until early next week before we're able to gain a better understanding of exactly where this storm will go, how much moisture it will pull from the Gulf, how much cold air will become wrapped in behind the system, etc.  However, for the past couple days two of our more reliable weather computer models have held their own with this low developing near Oklahoma and lifting northeast into central Illinois - which is typically a more favorable track for accumulating snow in the Midwest - however they have also changed the intensity and speed of this system which is something that will continue until the storm moves onshore.  It's hard to say at this point that there will be a major winter storm for the Stateline next Thursday and Friday, but it's also hard to say there won't be and it's something you should continue to monitor and keep in the back of your mind going into the weekend.  We'll be here day in and day out tracking both systems; Monday night/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, and continue to provide the latest information right here!  Stay tuned!