TOTAL SNOWFALL MAP: Experimental NWS Total Snow Forecast for Chicago Area showing 22″ for Soldier Field; 20″ for the entire City of Chicago including O’Hare; 19″ for Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, 18″ for Cary, Crystal Lake; 16″ for Rockford. Click on the map for the latest map from the NWS..
A newer track shows the heaviest snow hitting Chicago’s south suburbs harder and northwest Indiana harder. Newer Track …
New track showing heaviest amount snow slightly southeast compared to map from earlier this morning. Click on the map for the latest map from the NWS.
Blizzard watch map area is about the same as map from Sunday noon, except Kenosha County was changed from Blizzard Watch to Winter Storm Watch.
A BLIZZARD WATCH UPDATE ISSUED AT 3:54 AM MONDAY FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS … FROECAST DISCUSSION UPDATED 6:38 AM WITH NWS FORECASTER REMINDS PUBLIC THAT HEAVY SNOW TRACK CAN SHIFT AS MUCH AS 100 MILES AS LITTLE AS 24 HOURS BEFORE THE STORM ACTUALLY HITS THE AREA.
IMPACT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY (HOW MUCH SNOW AND WHEN)
LIGHTER SNOW MONDAY NOON INTO TUESDAY MORNING FORECAST AT 1-3 INCHES, BUT POSSIBLY 4 INCHES BY TUESDAY MORNING … FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY DEVELOP BY NOON WITH LITTLE OR NO ICE ACCUMULATION … THEN HEAVY SNOWFALL FROM THE MAJOR WINTER STORM DURING TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING COULD BRING TOTALS TO 18 TO 24 INCHES … WITH INCREASINGLY INTENSE LAKE EFFECT SNOW DEVELOPING DURING WEDNESDAY …
UP TO 8 to 14 INCHES EXPECTED BY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT. MORE SNOW IS EXPECTED DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. LAKE SNOW IS FORECAST FOR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND THEN NORTHWEST INDIANA.
NORTHEAST WINDS TUESDAY MORNING WITH WINDS BECOMING MORE OF AN ISSUE TUESDAY NIGHT AT 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40-50 MPH. GUSTS OF 50-60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE AT THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE, CAUSING A FLOOD WATCH FOR THE LAKE SHORE. WAVES OF 14-18 FT AND OCCASIONAL WAVES OVER 25FT OFFSHORE.
ON LAND HIGH WINDS COMBINED WITH 3 INCHES PER HOUR SNOWFALL IS DANGEROUS FOR TRAVEL.
THUNDERSNOW — EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE BLIZZARD TUESDAY NIGHT.
EIGHTEEN INCHES PLUS SNOW … EXCESS OF A FOOT-AND-A-HALF OR MORE OF SNOW WILL NOT BE UNCOMMON OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND FAR NORTHWEST INDIANA.
SNOWFALL RATES 2-3 INCHES PER HOUR WILL BE PROBABLE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM TUESDAY NIGHT (See also Arlingtoncardinal.com/weather).
TIMING, ACCUMULATION AND TRAVEL IMPACT
TIMING…SNOW WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND BECOME HEAVY AT
TIMES SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 TUESDAY AFTERNOON…GRADUALLY
SPREADING NORTH INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY TUESDAY EVENING.
SNOW…HEAVY AT TIMES…WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN IN NORTHEAST LLINOIS WEDNESDAY MORNING…SHIFTING INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA DURING THE AFTERNOON. NORTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS WILL RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING TUESDAY EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.ACCUMULATIONS…TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN EXCESS OF 8 INCHES IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS…AND IN EXCESS OF 18 INCHES OVER NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS…AS WELL AS NORTHWEST INDIANA. LOCAL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 24 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN FAR NORTHWEST INDIANA…DEPENDING ON EXACTLY WHERE THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BAND SETS UP AND HOW PERSISTENT IT IS OVER ANY ONE LOCATION.
TRAVEL IMPACTS…CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE FROM NORTH TO
SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON…WITH TRAVEL LIKELY
BECOMING VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY
WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL SO HEAVILY AT TIMES
TUESDAY NIGHT THAT PLOWS WILL BE UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE
SNOW…WITH MANY SIDE STREETS AND UNTREATED ROADS BECOMING
IMPASSABLE.
FULL BLIZZARD WATCH TEXT FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1138 AM CST MON JAN 31 2011
…DANGEROUS MULTIFACETED AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING WINTER
STORM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY…
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019-
010145-
/O.CON.KLOT.BZ.A.0001.110201T1800Z-110203T0000Z/
WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE IL-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK-
LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-IROQUOIS-FORD-
LAKE IN-PORTER-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…VALPARAISO…MOROCCO…RENSSELAER…
FOWLER
1138 AM CST MON JAN 31 2011 /1238 PM EST MON JAN 31 2011/
…BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON…
A BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
* TIMING…SNOW WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND BECOME HEAVY AT
TIMES SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 TUESDAY AFTERNOON…GRADUALLY
SPREADING NORTH INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY TUESDAY EVENING.
SNOW…HEAVY AT TIMES…WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN
IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS WEDNESDAY MORNING…SHIFTING INTO
NORTHWEST INDIANA DURING THE AFTERNOON. NORTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO
40 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS WILL RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
DEVELOPING TUESDAY EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT
HOURS.
* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF A FOOT ARE
EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE WATCH AREA FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. LOCALIZED TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 18
INCHES ARE POSSIBLE…ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKE.
* HAZARDS…WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES TUESDAY
NIGHT AS VERY HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS RESULT IN BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS. SNOWFALL RATES OF AT LEAST 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR
ARE POSSIBLE…ESPECIALLY WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT OCCUR.
* IMPACTS…CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE FROM NORTH TO
SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON…WITH TRAVEL LIKELY
BECOMING VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL SO HEAVILY
AT TIMES TUESDAY NIGHT THAT PLOWS WILL BE UNABLE TO KEEP UP
WITH THE SNOW…WITH MANY SIDE STREETS AND UNTREATED ROADS
BECOMING IMPASSABLE.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A BLIZZARD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FALLING AND
BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND EXTREMELY POOR VISIBILITIES.
THIS CAN LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND MAKE TRAVEL VERY
DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.
&&
$$
BEACHLER/SHEA
Become a fan of The Cardinal weather page. Submit your pictures or just stay up-to-date on weather topics — go direct to the Arlington Cardinal Weather photos. For a list of all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages, go to Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …