Winter weather returns Sunday night

 
Severe thunderstorms moved through the Midwest Saturday afternoon and evening, bringing with it numerous reported tornadoes in Iowa and many reports of high winds and wind damage across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.  

But the weather will quickly change from spring-like to more winter-like as another storm system moves in from the southwest, this time bringing with it the likelihood of accumulating snowfall Monday morning.  A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY will go into effect for most of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin beginning at Midnight and lasting through Noon Monday.  The advisory goes into effect a little earlier for the counties in northwest Illinois. 

The cold front that came through late Saturday night has stalled over central and southern Illinois.  Temperatures Sunday afternoon were nearly 20-25 degrees colder than what they were Saturday afternoon.  Low pressure developing over the southwest Sunday evening will quickly lift to the northeast, bringing with it quite a bit of moisture northward.  Showers, thunderstorms and snow have quickly developed over the central Plains and will continue to move northeast through Missouri, Iowa, southern and central Illinois Sunday night.  Temperatures remaining above freezing through the late evening may initially allow a mix of rain and snow to develop, especially for areas south of Rockford, around 10-11pm.  As temperatures continue to cool through Midnight, it'll be all snow that'll fall throughout the night.

The precipitation will move in from the southwest, moving northeast around 10pm and falling for most of the Stateline around Midnight.  After Midnight, heavier snow may fall for a brief period where snowfall rates could come close to one inch per hour for some.

The snow will be falling through sunrise Monday so expect a messy and slush-filled commute during that time.  Mid-morning the snow becomes a little
more scattered as low pressure pulls further away from the Stateline, with most of the snow coming to an end around Noon Monday.  Northwest winds will be breezy throughout the day holding temperatures in the low to mid 30s Monday afternoon.  

Snow totals are likely to range between 2-4 inches area wide, although there could be a couple spots north and northwest of Rockford that end up on the higher end, possibly closer to 5 inches Monday morning.  A little further south some freezing drizzle may mix in as drier air works in south of the Stateline later tonight and Monday.  This could end up cutting down on the snow totals in those locations, or at least keeping them closer to the lower end of totals, but could also cause things to slicken up a little more with some minor ice accumulation.

Plan for extra time Monday as both visibility and road conditions will more than likely slow you down.  As the snow continues to taper off through the morning, conditions will gradually begin to improve throughout the afternoon.