Accumulating heavy snow, hazardous travel likely Wednesday

Similar to Tuesday, the day kicks off with a round of scattered flurries and light snow. This is a precursor to the main show, but could still be enough to result in slippery travel for the morning commute. 

As of 5:00AM, roads in Jo-Daviess, Stephenson, Ogle, Lee, Carroll, and Whiteside Counties have become partially-covered. DeKalb County is the only one that is reporting mostly-covered roads.

Most of the viewing area will be placed under a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY from 9AM Wednesday to 3AM Thursday. 

For our counties hugging the Mississippi River, so Jo Daviess, Carroll, and Whiteside counties, they will be under a WINTER STORM WARNING from 6AM Wednesday to 3AM Thursday.

 

Beyond this morning's activity, the forecast remains on par, with snow turning steady, and at times heavy, from midday to the early-evening hours. This is when we can expect more significant impacts to arrive as snowfall rates could fall within the 0.5"-1" per hour range. The snow that falls won't be a heavy, wet snow nor will it be a light and fluffy snow. However, expect blowing and drifting snow to also be a concern as northeast winds increase during the day.

As this evening progresses, our main accumulating snow window will be closing, though we could see an additional 1"-2" before snow tapers off. In the end, I do think a majority of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin will see 3"-6". Though we do see gradual clearing Thursday morning, the sunshine won't have an impact on temperatures. The fresh snow along with tomorrow's cold northwesterly wind will limit afternoon highs to the upper teens.