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The storm system packs a punch with heavy snow, high winds, then
dangerous wind chills. Meteorologist Ed Shimon with the National
Weather Service office in Lincoln told The Center Square the
high winds are especially concerning.
“The biggest impact is probably going to be the strong winds
that are going to follow right at the end of when the snowfall
is really occurring, because that is going to create near
blizzard conditions in some places,” Shimon said.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch from
Thursday morning through Friday night for most of the state.
“Confidence continues to increase that a major winter storm will
impact the Great Lakes region with heavy snow, strong winds, and
bitterly cold temperatures,” the weather service said.
Snow totals vary from a couple inches in southern Illinois to
close to a foot in the Chicago area.
Maria Castaneda with the Illinois Department of Transportation
said blowing and drifting snow will create challenges for their
fleet of snow plows.
“If there are areas where there aren’t high winds, we will
definitely get out and pre-salt and then change over to what's
called the plowing operation as that progresses,” Castaneda
said.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding the
public to visit and bookmark GettingAroundIllinois.com for
continually updated information on road conditions.
“Our No. 1 priority is making sure roads are safe for the
motoring public, but you should always prepare yourself before
taking any trips,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman
said in a statement.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois for the
Center Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio news
reporting throughout the Midwest.
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