Highest Impacts Thursday afternoon into Friday, Dangerously Cold Weekend Ahead

Winter Storm Latest:

The biggest update as of this morning is that a few more of our western counties have been added to the Winter Storm Warning. Along with Jo-Daviess County, Carroll, Stephenson, and Whiteside Counties will be under a Winter Storm Warning from 6PM this evening to 6AM Saturday morning. The rest of the viewing area remains under a Winter Storm Watch until further notice. 

Clouds Increase:

Ahead of the anticipated winter storm, most of the daylight hours Wednesday will remain tranquil. In fact, we may get in on a bit of sunshine before clouds increase into the mid-day hours. Light snow will begin to fall shortly after the evening commute comes to a close, with scattered snow chances sticking around into Thursday morning. While minor accumulations are possible during this time, travel impacts aren’t likely to be severe. 

Highest Impacts Thursday:

Snowfall rates are then expected to pick up in intensity late Thursday morning, likely remaining intense well into the afternoon. Travel conditions during this time will deteriorate rather quickly, especially once the winds pick up following the passage of a powerful cold front. 

Remember, while the "how much" factor of a winter storm is important, the impacts carries with it a higher level of importance. With that being said, forecast models have been going back and forth with the storm's overall track into the Ohio Valley and the southern Great Lakes. With a more southeast wobble in the track, snowfall totals for those under the Winter Storm Watch should fall within the 2"-4" range, with those under the warning being able to pick up 3"-6". Now, it's also important to remember that most of the snow that falls Thursday afternoon into Friday morning will be wind-driven. 

Once the powerful frontal passage is complete, winds will pick up in intensity rather quickly, gusting up to 40-50 mph for most. It also wouldn't shock me if one or two of our local airports register a wind gust around the 55 mph mark. 

But the combination of the fresh snowfall along with the blustery winds will make traveling very difficult to near impossible at times. As we've said on multiple occasions, it would be very beneficial for you to get any last-minute preparations and shopping done today. It'll also be VERY important to alter any holiday travel plans that you have, especially between Thursday afternoon and mid-day Friday. 

Not only will the strong winds make for extremely difficult travel, it will also be responsible for the temperatures plunge that occurs prior to the upcoming holiday weekend. Highs Thursday will be observed during the early stages of the day, then plummeting into the afternoon. 

The wind chill department will also be in a state of free-fall post-frontal passage, landing in the -20° to -30° range by Friday morning. It is likely that wind chills values will remain in this range all day Friday, all day Saturday, and for the early portions of Christmas day. For that reason, we highly recommend avoiding being outside during this dangerously cold stretch as frostbite on exposed skin could occur within 10 minutes. Please spread the word to your friends, your loved ones, the elderly, and also make sure you're taking necessary precautions to keep your pets safe from this upcoming Arctic blast. Remember, pets are family too! 

This extreme wintry spell carries on into early next week as forecast models do show our next disturbance sliding to our west Monday. This may bring a few flurries to the area early in the day, with a slim chance extending into Tuesday!