WINTER STORM WARNING
SUMMARY
Rain changing to snow about 9:00 PM
1-3 inches overnight
Temperature drops below freezing at about 2am about the same time wind shifts from south to southwest to west to northwest.
New snow accumulation during the day Sunday forecast at 4-7 inches.
Temperature falls to 18F by 5pm during Chicago Bears home game against New England Patriots (Wind chill -2)
Winds at 5pm expected to be 30 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph.
Wind chill -18F expected overnight Sunday to Monday.
WATCH FOR FROZEN VEHICLE LOCKS — MOISTURE FROM RAINFALL IS LIKELY TO FREEZE VEHICLE DOOR LOCKS TOMORROW AS TEMPERATURE FALL BELOW 32F AFTER 2AM SUNDAY.
FULL WINTER STORM WARNING TEXT FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE …
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
423 PM CST SAT DEC 11 2010
…SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO AFFECT THE AREA TONIGHT INTO
MONDAY…
.DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL IOWA WILL CONTINUE TO
STRENGTHEN AS IT CROSSES NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND SOUTHERN LAKE
MICHIGAN TONIGHT. RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHEAST
ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON. RAIN WILL MIX WITH
AND CHANGE TO SNOW LATE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH
CENTRAL ILLINOIS… GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 39.
DRIER AIR WILL MOVE IN ALOFT THIS EVENING BRINGING A DECREASE IN
WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION FOR MUCH OF THE AREA BUT A CORRIDOR OF
RAIN AND SNOW…WHICH WILL TURN TO SNOW DURING THE EVENING…MAY
CONTINUE FROM ROUGHLY ROCKFORD EAST-SOUTHEAST TO CHICAGO WITH
LIGHT ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL BE POSSIBLE
ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 88 WITH A LOWER POTENTIAL NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 88 WHERE STEADIER PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE.
THE LOW WILL MOVE FURTHER EAST INTO SUNDAY MORNING BRINGING A
SURGE OF BITTERLY COLD AIR SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE AREA.
ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL ACCOMPANY THE COLD AIR ALONG WITH VERY
STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WHICH WILL GUST IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH AT
TIMES. THIS COMBINATION OF COLD…SNOW..AND WIND WILL ARRIVE
ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS EARLY TONIGHT AND EXPAND
SOUTHEASTWARD REACHING THE CHICAGO METRO AREA AROUND OR SOON
AFTER DAYBREAK SUNDAY THEN CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA
THROUGH THE MID MORNING HOURS.
THE STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH THE SNOW TO CREATE
BLOWING AND DRIFTING AND VISIBILITIES WILL OCCASIONALLY FALL TO A
QUARTER MILE OR LESS WHICH WILL CREATE DANGEROUS TRAVEL
CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA INTO SUNDAY EVENING. NEAR BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN OPEN AND RURAL AREAS OF NORTH CENTRAL
AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS. LAKE MICHIGAN MAY WORK TO ENHANCE THE
SNOWFALL ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS…INCLUDING THE CHICAGO
METRO AREA…FOR A PERIOD SUNDAY MORNING INTO EARLY SUNDAY
AFTERNOON. THIS LAKE ENHANCEMENT WILL THEN TRANSITION EASTWARD
INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA. THE SYSTEM WILL MOVE EASTWARD SUNDAY NIGHT
AND SNOW WILL WIND DOWN ACROSS ALL BUT NORTHWEST INDIANA WHERE
LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL PERSIST. THE VERY COLD AIRMASS WILL BE
FIRMLY IN PLACE SUNDAY NIGHT WHILE WINDS REMAIN GUSTY LEADING TO
WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 25 OR 30 BELOW ZERO…ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE
URBANIZED AREAS.
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-010-011-019-
120630-
/O.CON.KLOT.WS.W.0004.101212T0900Z-101213T0600Z/
WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE IL-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK-
LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-IROQUOIS-FORD-
LAKE IN-NEWTON-JASPER-BENTON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…ROCKFORD…BELVIDERE…WOODSTOCK…
WAUKEGAN…OREGON…DIXON…DEKALB…AURORA…WHEATON…CHICAGO…
OTTAWA…OSWEGO…MORRIS…JOLIET…KANKAKEE…PONTIAC…
WATSEKA…PAXTON…GARY…MOROCCO…RENSSELAER…FOWLER
423 PM CST SAT DEC 11 2010 /523 PM EST SAT DEC 11 2010/
…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM CST /4 AM
EST/ SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST /1 AM EST/ SUNDAY NIGHT…
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM CST /4 AM EST/
SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST /1 AM EST/ SUNDAY NIGHT.
* TIMING…TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY NIGHT ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS….AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…4 TO 7 ARE INCHES POSSIBLE ALONG AND NORTH
OF A LINE FROM NEAR ROCKFORD TO JOLIET TO RENSSELAER WITH LOWER
AMOUNTS SOUTHWEST. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE…
ESPECIALLY ACROSS FAR NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS IN AREAS CLOSER TO
LAKE MICHIGAN.
* HAZARDS…WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH…BLOWING AND DRIFTING
SNOW…SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITY…BITTERLY COLD WIND
CHILLS TO AROUND 25 BELOW ZERO SUNDAY NIGHT.
* IMPACTS…SNOW COVERED ROADS…VISIBILITY OF LESS THAN A QUARTER
MILE AT TIMES…FALLING BRANCHES AND POWER LINES… FROSTBITE.
NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN MORE RURAL AND OPEN AREAS…AND
CLOSE TO THE INDIANA SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN…POSSIBLE.
* OUTLOOK…WIND CHILL READINGS WILL REMAIN AT DANGEROUSLY COLD
LEVELS FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. WIND CHILL
READINGS WILL BE 10 TO 25 BELOW ZERO OVER MUCH OF THE AREA…
EVEN DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
THIS WINTER STORM WARNING IS MEANT TO ADDRESS A VARIETY OF HAZARDS INCLUDING SNOW…BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW…STRONG WIND GUSTS…AND BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS.