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Extreme Heat and Fire Weather Conditions in the West; Severe Thunderstorm Threat in the Northern Plains on Thursday

Extreme heat will may set some new daily temperature records across the Desert Southwest. Hot, dry and windy conditions and dry thunderstorms continue to bring fire weather concerns for portions of the Desert Southwest, the central Great Basin and Rockies. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected across the Northern Plains late Thursday. Read More >

An area of moderate to heavy snow moved northeastward across northern Illinois and far northwest Indiana during the late afternoon and early evening of Tuesday, December 29th. Snowfall rates of 1" to locally 2" per hour were observed this this band of snow. By mid-evening, warming temperatures aloft resulted in the precipitation mixing with sleet and rain before changing over to all rain for much of north-central and northeast Illinois by late in the evening. Air temperatures remained below freezing for several hours after the switch to rain, resulting in ice accumulations of 0.1"-0.2" for much of northeast Illinois late Tuesday evening into early Wednesday morning.

This was the first significant winter precipitation event this season for most of the NWS Chicago forecast area with the exception of locations near the Wisconsin state line. The high snowfall rates during the late afternoon and evening resulted in major travel disruptions across northern Illinois and the Chicago metro.

 
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