Next Winter Storm Slides In, Impacts Begin Late-Wednesday

Winter Alerts Issued:

Earlier this morning, the National Weather Service placed Jo-Daviess County in N. Illinois and Green County in S. Wisconsin under a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. This advisory will begin at 6PM this evening, lasting until 9AM Thursday. In the areas that are more favored for accumulating snow, a winter storm warning has been put in place. This stretches from the northeast corner of Colorado to extreme northern Wisconsin. 

Timing Out the Storm:

Prior to sunrise, our next storm system is preparing to eject into the central and southern plains. With how much distance this storm still has to travel in mind, it will take some time for the precipitation to actually reach the Stateline. 

That's why we can expect mainly dry but cloudy conditions for a majority of the daylight hours. It won't be until the late-afternoon and early-evening time frame in which we see our first chance for precipitation come into play. To start, precipitation looks to start off as scattered light snow, but a gradual transition to a mixed precipitation will take place as the evening progresses.

It's also during this time in which we'll have to keep an eye on the rain/snow mix line so where temperatures are sitting at the 32-degree mark. Any southward wobble will result in a bit more snow for areas along and north of Interstate 88. The opposite will occur if we see the rain/snow mix line make a slight jump to the north. 

Wind also picks up this evening, gusting out of the east northeast between 25-35 mph. Especially if we see a bit more snow than rain during this time, travel will become a bit more treacherous. As we inch closer to sunrise Thursday morning, the storm's dry slot is expected to move overhead. This will significantly break apart the activity, leaving us with a few scattered mixed showers Thursday morning into Thursday afternoon. 

How Much?:

Similar to how much of this winter season has been for us, we'll more than likely miss another chance for accumulating snow. Areas in extreme northwest Illinois and in southwest Wisconsin will have a better shot at picking up 1"-4". 

Anywhere south and east of that will only be able to pick up a trace to as much as an inch. As mentioned previously, any southward wobble in the storms track will heighten our chances for more snowfall. As the storm system departs, the story then becomes the cold as forecast models do show a considerable amount of cold air filtering in on the backside. Temperatures fall from the upper 30s both today and tomorrow to only 32-degree Friday afternoon.