By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Getting around Illinois on Sunday will be difficult on one of the year’s busiest travel days.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from three o’clock Sunday afternoon until 6 a.m. Monday for McLean, Woodford, Tazewell, and Peoria Counties, and from 9 p.m. Sunday to 9 a.m. Monday for Livingston County.

First, we’ll receive a dose of heavy rain, perhaps up to a half-inch of rain before 10 p.m. Rain changing to snow late, with wind gusts reaching 38 to 40 miles per hour, according to the weather service. The weather service predicts two to five inches of snow for McLean County. Two to four inches of snow accumulation is expected in Livingston County with wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour.

Conditions will be much worse to the north where winter storm warnings have been issued. The Chicago area, including Cook County, is expected to see snow accumulations up to 10 inches with localized amounts up to a foot.

All this as students return to return to campus after a week off for Thanksgiving.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]