Winter Weather Advisory Issued, Slushy Morning Commute Ahead

Winter Weather Advisory:

Earlier this morning, a winter weather advisory went into effect for our counties hugging the Illinois-Wisconsin border. For those north of the border, that will be in place until 6PM. 

For our northern Illinois counties, we can expect this advisory to expire around 1PM. As we've been hinting at the past few days, the main concern with this storm system will be the impacts it brings for those traveling during the morning commute.

Timing of Impacts: 

If you plan to travel, it'll be important to implement extra travel time into your morning routine. Then once you're on the roadways, remain focused and travel at a slower speed. Forecast models do place the rain/snow mix line right near the Illinois-Wisconsin border early on, before shifting it back south shortly after sunrise. 

This will result in a changeover to wet snow for those who live along and north of U.S 20. Whereas those who live south of U.S 20 will still be experiencing the wintry mix portion of the system. Further south near Interstate 88, precipitation remains as all rain. Once that changeover occurs, we'll have a 2-3 hour window for slushy accumulations before conditions begins to wind down. 

Overall, I do think those in extreme northern Illinois will be able to pick up 1"-3" of slushy snow, with the potential for 4" totals up in southern and southeastern Wisconsin. Even after the storm departs, the low potential for patchy drizzle lingers into the first half of the night. 

Otherwise, expect a mostly cloudy sky with temperatures falling back into the lower 30s prior to sunrise. As for the weekend, most of it will be dry but mostly cloudy. The only precipitation chance we have comes in the form of a light wintry mix Saturday evening/Saturday night. Temperatures for both days aim to peak on either side of the 40-degree mark.