Winter Storm Watch expanded into northern Illinois

Winter Storm Watch:

With a secondary system schedule to arrive over the weekend, the National Weather Service expanded the WINTER STORM WATCH to include Jo-Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, and Whiteside Counties.  

 

  

Timing Out the Precipitation: 

Forecast models show precipitation starting around Saturday evening and Saturday night, staring off light as a scattered mix of rain and snow. By Sunday morning, better moisture will have arrived with much milder air. This, along with temperatures surging into the low 50s will flips things over to all rain.

 

As the low-pressure system moves through, colder air will quickly spill in from the northwest, changing any precipitation to a heavier wintry mix and eventually to moderate to heavy snow. Snow will gradually taper off through Monday afternoon.  

Like the storm system that is passing through today, Sunday's will bring strong winds with frequent gusts of 35 to 45 mph on the table. Winds will blow from the south and southeast Sunday before shifting to the northwest Sunday evening into Sunday night. This will leave temperatures in the 20s for Monday and St. Patrick's Day. 

Highest potential for snowfall accumulations remains in areas to the north of the Illinois/Wisconsin border, mainly up in northern half of Wisconsin and in the upper peninsula of Michigan.