Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
A SERIES OF LIGHT... BUT FAST MOVING WINTRY SYSTEMS EXPECTED TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...
THREE SMALL... BUT FAST MOVING WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE QUAD STATE REGION BEGINNING THIS MORNING... THEN OCCUR PERIODICALLY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. AS EACH OF THESE SYSTEMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA... GUSTY WINDS AND COLD AIR WILL BE USHERED INTO THE REGION.
THE FIRST WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE QUAD STATE REGION THIS MORNING. MAINLY LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS AND PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI BEFORE DAYBREAK THIS MORNING. LOCALLY HIGHER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS NEAR AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE INTERSTATE 64 CORRIDOR OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA.
HOWEVER... THIS SNOW IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS IT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... MAINLY NORTH OF ROUTE 13... SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE. THIS SNOW WILL THEN WORK EAST ALONG THE INTERSTATE 64 CORRIDOR THROUGH SOUTHWEST INDIANA... SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE OHIO RIVER BEFORE NOON.
GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH... ALONG WITH VISIBILITIES DUE TO THE SNOW LESS THAN A MILE AT TIMES... MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR DRIVERS DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING THIS AFTERNOON... MELTING ANY SNOW THAT FALLS OR IS ON THE GROUND.
THE NEXT TWO WEATHER SYSTEMS... EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING... THEN AGAIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE LITTLE IN THE WAY OF ANY MEASURABLE SNOWFALL.
THE WEATHER SYSTEM ON FRIDAY WILL USHER IN THE COLDEST AIR... WHICH WILL LEAD TO WIND CHILLS IN THE 5 TO 15 DEGREE RANGE BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.
NORTHWEST WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH WILL BE LIKELY DURING THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON ON FRIDAY. SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 25 AND 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THESE WIND GUSTS MAY CAUSE DIFFICULTY FOR DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES.
ONCE THESE WEATHER SYSTEMS MOVE OUT... DRY... BUT COLD WEATHER SHOULD BE THE RULE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
