SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
Issue Date: 449 AM CST TUE DEC 22 2009
Expiration: 700 AM CST TUE DEC 22 2009
...SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE MIDWEST
WEDNESDAY THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY...
A STRONG STORM SYSTEM CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
WILL EMERGE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY...THEN INTENSIFY
AS IT LIFTS NORTHWARD...JUST WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THIS
SYSTEM WILL BRING A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET...FREEZING RAIN...AND
RAIN TO THE AREA.
CURRENT FORECAST GUIDANCE INDICATES THAT PRECIPITATION WILL
LIKELY BEGIN WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS AREAS TO THE SOUTH OF
INTERSTATE 80 AS A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET...AND FREEZING
RAIN...BEFORE SPREADING NORTH ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA DURING THE
DAY ON WEDNESDAY. THIS WINTRY MIX WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 BEFORE TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE
FREEZING OVER THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY MORNING. A CHANGE
TO LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED FROM WEST TO EAST ON FRIDAY AS COLDER
AIR WRAPS IN AROUND THE STORM CENTER OVER IOWA.
WHILE AVAILABLE FORECAST INFORMATION IS IN GENERALLY GOOD
AGREEMENT REGARDING THE LARGE SCALE EVOLUTION OF THIS STORM
SYSTEM...IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH SNOW AND ICE
MAY ACCUMULATE WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
WITH A PROLONGED PERIOD OF MIXED PRECIPITATION EXPECTED ACROSS
THE AREA...TRAVEL CONDITIONS MAY BE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED ACROSS
THE MIDWEST WEDNESDAY THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY. INDIVIDUALS WHO PLAN
ON TRAVELING THROUGH THE AREA LATER THIS WEEK ARE ENCOURAGED TO
REMAIN ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS...AND ANY
WATCHES...WARNINGS...OR ADVISORIES THAT MAY BE ISSUED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
Issue Date: 439 AM CST TUE DEC 22 2009
Expiration: 445 AM CST WED DEC 23 2009
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
SNOW WILL TAPER TO SCATTERED FLURRIES BY NOON TODAY AFTER
ACCUMULATING UP TO 3 INCHES ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS
AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. UNTREATED AREA ROADS WILL BE SNOW COVERED
AND SLIPPERY THIS MORNING.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN
PLAINS BY MID WEEK...AND WILL INTENSIFY AS IT LIFTS NORTHWARD UP
THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. THIS WILL
RESULT IN A PERIOD OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN...DEVELOPING
AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...AND CONTINUING INTO EARLY
THURSDAY MORNING...BEFORE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO ALL RAIN DURING
THURSDAY. COLDER AIR WILL THEN CIRCULATE AROUND THE STORM CENTER
ALLOWING PRECIPITATION TO CHANGE BACK TO LIGHT SNOW OR SNOW
SHOWERS ON CHRISTMAS DAY...WITH PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW CONTINUING
INTO SATURDAY AS THE LOW CENTER DRIFTS OFF ACROSS THE UPPER
MIDWEST.
THIS STORM SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT TRAVEL DURING THE
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PERIOD...ESPECIALLY HEADING WEST ACROSS
IOWA...AND NORTH INTO MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN. PERSONS PLANNING
TRAVEL ACROSS THE MIDWEST BETWEEN WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY SHOULD
MONITOR FURTHER FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION ON THIS DEVELOPING WINTER STORM.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NECESSARY THROUGH TONIGHT.
&&
COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO
WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO
|
|
|
