WINTER STORM WATCH (full text below)
SNOW STARTS BY 11 PM TONIGHT, CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH ARCTIC WINDS KICKING UP BY 5PM SUNDAY, TEMPS DROP BELOW FREEZING ABOUT 2 AM SUNDAY AND DROP TO 8°F BY 6 AM MONDAY, WIND CHILL OF 10 BELOW ZERO SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY MORNING.
FREEZING RAIN NORTHERN TIER ILLINOIS COUNTIES/WISCONSIN
Today: Rain. High near 36. Southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight: Rain and snow before 9pm, then snow between 9pm and 3am, then snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle after 3am. Low around 27. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north northwest. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
Sunday: Snow and areas of blowing snow before noon, then snow likely and areas of blowing snow after noon. Temperature falling to around 19 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -1. Very windy, with a north northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to between 30 and 35 mph. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Sunday Night: Areas of blowing snow and a chance of snow showers before midnight, then areas of blowing snow after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 4. Wind chill values as low as -16. Windy, with a north northwest wind between 25 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
WINTER STORM WATCH …
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
553 AM CST SAT DEC 11 2010
…SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO AFFECT THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT
INTO MONDAY…
DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHERN IOWA WILL CONTINUE TO
STRENGTHEN AS IT CROSSES NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND SOUTHERN LAKE
MICHIGAN TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHERN
TIER OF COUNTIES ALONG THE WISCONSIN BORDER THIS MORNING AND THEN
A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN
PORTIONS OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD
CHANGE OVER TO SNOW ALONG AND WEST OF I-39 THIS EVENING.
PRECIPITATION WILL START OUT AS RAIN OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE
AREA AND THEN CHANGE OVER TO A RAIN SNOW MIX THIS EVENING.
COLD AIR WILL QUICKLY SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT. A
PERIOD OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY MORNING…ESPECIALLY FOR THE NORTHERN TIER OF COUNTIES. DRY AIR ALOFT WILL OVERSPREAD MUCH OF THE REGION TONIGHT AND THE PRECIPITATION MAY CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING DRIZZLE FOR A PERIOD LATE TONIGHT.
WINDS WILL RAPIDLY STRENGTHEN SUNDAY MORNING WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS
OF 45 MPH LIKELY. THE VERY STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH
FALLING AND NEWLY FALLEN SNOW TO CREATE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW…WITH GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES. IN ADDITION…
TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE TEENS SUNDAY…CREATING WIND
CHILLS OF 10 BELOW ZERO. AS ARCTIC AIR CONTINUES TO FILTER OVER
THE REGION…MORNING LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW ZERO OVER MUCH
OF THE AREA MONDAY AND TUESDAY MORNING. WITH PERSISTENT BRISK
WINDS…DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS OF 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING MORNING. WIND CHILLS READINGS MAY REACH AS
LOW AS 30 BELOW ZERO IN SOME LOCATIONS MONDAY MORNING.