Sunday morning weather update

 

Over the next 24 hours a strong low-pressure system will through the Midwest and Upper Great Lakes bringing multiple impacts to different regions. Some areas are already experiencing heavy snowfall this morning, however here across the state line we'll be expecting not only snow, but rain/thunderstorms, and possible blizzard like conditions into tomorrow morning.

Initially through the morning and early afternoon today multiple rounds of both showers and possible thunderstorms will move through the region. This will be on the warmer side of the low-pressure system as our temperatures will be in the mid 50's. If we build some instability this afternoon, a few rumbles of thunder will be possible however even without instability, rain showers will pack a punch today with any shower carrying the potential of wind gusts between 40-50 mph. If thunderstorms do develop as well (likely past 12 p.m.) an isolated severe thunderstorm can't be ruled out with the main risk being damaging wind gusts (60+ mph).

By the late afternoon and into early evening we'll see the cold front with this system quickly approach which will plummet our temperatures this evening. As this happens a bit of dry air at the surface may give us a brief break in precipitation, however if we keep some moisture around some mixed precipitation may begin to fall near 7-9 p.m. Once we cool our temperatures enough though, we'll expect heavy snowfall at times through the overnight hours combining that with wind gusts over 40 mph.

Most of our winter weather alerts into this evening are focused on the time period beyond our switch to mix precipitation later. As we switch over to snowfall wind gusts will remain in excess of 40 mph while heavy snowfall may amount to 2-6" here across the state line while areas to the north and west may see locally higher totals near 4-8". Because of this, most of the region is under Winter Storm Watches/Warnings (excluding Dekalb and McHenry Counties) including Blizzard Warnings for Stephenson, Jo Davies, Whiteside, and Carroll counties as heavy snowfall and strong winds will promote blowing and drifting snow leading to reduced visibility into the overnight hours.

As we switch over to snow this evening, visibility will quickly drop through the nighttime. As our heaviest snow is falling our wind gusts will also begin to peak with wind gusts through the overnight hours potentially reaching 50+ mph. This will significantly impact both visibility and driving conditions with visibility expected to drop near 1/4 mile at times. If you do plan on driving overnight or tomorrow morning, take things extremely cautious and allow plenty of extra time for travel.

Now in terms of snowfall totals this won't be the primary focus of the system as both the heavy snowfall and strong wind gusts promoting reduced visibility will certainly be the biggest impact from this system. However, most of the region can expect 2-6" of snowfall while areas near and north of Jo Davies County may see local totals of 6" or more. It's certainly going to be an interesting and active 24 hours! Make sure to stay in tune with the changing forecast during this time.