By WMBD-TV (Chief Meteorologist Chris Yates)
PEORIA – As Tuesday’s storm system wrapped up, eyes are looking ahead to another potential winter storm that could impact Central Illinois Thursday night through Saturday morning.
Key takeaways
- Confidence is high that another strong low pressure system will through or near the region
- Exact track remains uncertain
- High chance of accumulations over 3 inches, several more inches possible
- Wind gusts over 40 mph possible
- Arctic air will follow
While confidence in another strong storm system move through or near the area is high, it’s exact track remains uncertain. Here are a couple of scenarios:
Northern Track
A stronger and deeper low would track near I-70. While a period of rain or wintry mix is possible Thursday night and early Friday morning, a quick changeover to snow would be likely on Friday. The storm will then produce significant snow across the region with very strong winds.
Southern Track
A weaker system would track further south moving, through far southern Illinois or western Kentucky. This track would bring a period of accumulating snow to Central Illinois Thursday night and Friday, but the system would be more progressive and keep the heavier snow further east.
Snow accumulations are highly uncertain but there is growing confidence that much of the area will receive at least 3 inches of snow, but there is potential for far more significant accumulations compared to what we’ve seen with the first storm.
Continue to monitor the forecast over the next couple of days. This storm is already generating a lot of hype on social media so don’t buy into the model snowfall projections you see floating around. While a blizzard is possible, talks of such a thing are premature at this stage in the forecast.
As the storm begins to move out, frigid temperatures are likely to filter into the region Friday night and Saturday with wind chills below zero. Highs by Sunday will be in the single digits with lows below zero and this cold air could persist through the start of next week.
