Weather Story

Central Illinois Forecast

Late Week Arctic Blast

Travel Impacts Possible This Weekend

Winter System Forecast Trends

A series of cold fronts will result in a bitter, Arctic airmass arriving by Friday morning. This will result in wind chill values dropping to 10 to 30 degrees below zero (coldest north of I-74). A strong low pressure system will track south of the region, but could still bring a measurable snow to central and southeast Illinois. Accumulation chances increase with southward extent, and the best chance of accumulating snow is south of I-70, where a winter storm watch has been issued. Temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing through at least the first half of next week.

Hazardous, bitter cold returns Friday morning, with wind chill values 15 to 30 degrees below zero (coldest north of I-74). Be prepared for dangerous cold Friday! Air temperatures (not pictured) are forecast to remain below freezing through at least the middle of next week.

A system is expected to bring snow to portions of central and southeast Illinois Saturday afternoon into Sunday, which could impact travel. The probability of snow accumulations (and associated travel impacts) increases with southward extent and is highest south of I-70, where a winter storm watch is in effect. Check back for further updates, as the forecast may shift.

If it seems like the forecast for this weekend has changed notably - it's because it has! The latest models had a meaningful northward shift with the system, increasing the potential for measurable snow in central/southeast Illinois. These two images both show the probability of over 2" of snow this weekend, with the left image being the old forecast and the right image being the current forecast (as of Wednesday afternoon). Additional shifts are still possible in the coming days, so check back for further updates, and begin considering how you might adjust any Saturday travel plans if snow were to impact travel.