Winter Weather expected to bring freezing rain and hazardous road conditions

Posted on January 25, 2021
Freezing rain could bring hazardous road conditions across Central Illinois. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Much of Central Illinois remains under a winter weather advisory until noon Tuesday, as three separate rounds of snowfall and ice are expected to bring hazardous road conditions and possible power outages.

The Town of Normal, City of Bloomington, LeRoy, and Danvers have all issued parking bans that are now in effect on all streets until further notice as projected freezing rain totals up to a quarter-inch of ice.

“The expectation is that precipitation initially maybe in the form of a little bit of light snow, but eventually sort of a freezing rain threat will set up by this afternoon,” Heart of Illinois ABC Meteorologist Joe Strus told WJBC’s Scott Miller. “But, overall, pretty quiet until mid to late afternoon, that’s when the concern begins to mount and really highlighting that evening commute with that freezing rain threat over the Bloomington-Normal area.”

Strus added that the storm would not be as bad as the storm in early January that left thousands without power. However, the threat of freezing rain could leave many without power.

“We’re looking at about a tenth of an inch (of freezing rain) tonight to about at most, at most a quarter of an inch. That is enough to create isolated power outages and certainly bring very dangerous travel. But (I’m) thinking that today should finish up a little further south than a couple of weeks ago.”

By the end of Monday evening, freezing rain will turn into light snow, while snowfall will continue through Wednesday, bringing up to 2 inches of accumulation.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected]

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