A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the following nearby Illinois communities: Algonquin, Cary, Crystal Lake, Fox River Grove (west side of town), Island Lake, Lake in the Hills, Marengo, McHenry, and Richmond.
Burlington, WI; Elkhorn, WI; Kenosha, WI; Lake Geneva, WI; and Racine, WI are under a WINTER STORM WARNING.
Currently Arlington Heights has only a 10% chance of a 3-inch snow event between 6:00 p.m. and midnight Thursday, and a 60% chance of a one-inch snow event for the same period.
STANDBY FOR WINTER STORM WARNING TO POSSIBLE BE EXTENDED EASTWARD TO NORTHWEST COOK COUNTY AND CHICAGO METRO
The approaching storm is intense and dynamic with embedded thunderstorms possible, high winds likely, and snowfall amounts difficult to forecast. Residents should keep an eye on the weather for changing conditions and storm track. Forecasters are not certain when rain will change to snow, which makes snowfall amounts difficult to forecast. High steady winds and high gusts, and possibly some thunderstorms are expected in the area. Current forecast puts northwest Cook County snowfall east of the 4:00 a.m. WINTER STORM WATCH area at about 1-3 inches, but the snowfall could be higher in thundersnow areas or with other changes in storm conditions. The wind is a factor contributing to the forecast of Winter Storm conditions.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
403 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012
MCHENRY-DE KALB-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…WOODSTOCK…DEKALB
403 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012
…WINTER STORM WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING…
* TIMING…RAIN WILL CHANGE TO WET SNOW THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH
SNOW…POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES…LIKELY TO LINGER INTO THURSDAY
EVENING. STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP LATER THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND
CONTINUE THURSDAY EVENING.
* SNOW ACCUMULATION: CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT TOTALS OF 2 TO 4
INCHES ARE POSSIBLE…HOWEVER THE AMOUNTS WILL DEPEND HEAVILY
ON HOW QUICKLY THE RAIN CHANGES TO SNOW. IF THE CHANGE OVER
OCCURS EARLY ENOUGH THEN HEAVIER SNOW AMOUNTS COULD
OCCUR…CONVERSELY IF THE CHANGE OVER WERE TO BE LATER THURSDAY
THEN ACCUMULATIONS COULD END UP ON THE LOWER END OF THAT RANGE.
* WIND: WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH
THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY EVENING WITH
GUSTS UP BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH EXPECTED.
* IMPACTS…THE COMBINATION OF THE SNOW AND VERY STRONG WINDS WILL
RESULT IN GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND POSSIBLY NEAR
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. FALLING TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE ROADS TO
BECOME SNOW COVERED AND TRAVEL TREACHEROUS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
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