Travel impacts likely as accumulating wet snow moves in

The Stateline witnessed it's first flakes of the season Wednesday and it was just enough to leave behind a dusting on rooftops, leaves, and vehicles. 

A stronger area of low pressure over the Great Lakes will help swing a large swath of snow our way, likely bringing impacts to morning travel. Currently, this wave is passing through areas closer to Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Sheboygan Wisconsin, producing intense snowfall rates up to 1"-2". 

Forecast models show snow moving back in after 8AM, lasting through 12PM-1PM. There could be a couple hour window during the morning where snowfall rates reach close to 1"/hr. This combined with a rather strong northwesterly winds will result in visibility issues as well as allow for some slushy accumulations to develop on the roads.

At the time the heaviest snow is overhead, visibility could drop to under half a mile, especially for areas along and east of I-39. Of our counties, only Rock and Walworth as well as McHenry County have been placed under a Winter Weather Advisory. 

It's in these areas where 1"-2" could fall with isolated totals up to 3". Rockford, Rochelle, Belvidere, and Dekalb will be closer to 1" with lesser snowfall totals to the west of the interstate. Temperatures will warm enough by the early afternoon for snow to transition to a mix, then to a scattered light rain prior to the evening commute.

Once the heaviest snow is behind us, winds will become the bigger focus for travel impacts. All of N. Illinois and S. Wisconsin will be under a Wind Advisory from 10AM-8PM. It's during these hours where winds could gust up to 50 mph. Along with the incoming snow, this will matters worse for travelers, especially those in a high-profile vehicle. Winds stay breezy overnight and breezy for Friday, limiting lows to the upper 30s and highs to the mid 40s.