Wet snow here, but winter storm to the west
A second taste of wet snow in a week is expected today and Tuesday for Chicago and northern Illinois, but a real challenge has been tossed to many residents of the southern Rockies and central Plains. On Sunday night, avalanche warnings were posted for much of the Colorado Rockies where 10 to 20 inches of new snow on top of a weak snow pack coupled with strong winds created unstable conditions. Nearly 150 avalanches had been reported as of Sunday evening, and travel had come to a crawl or stopped on many highways including Interstate 70. Interstate 80 was closed in western Nebraska, where a foot of snow and strong winds shut travel down completely.
After experiencing weather on the northern edge of this storm as it passes far to the south, Chicago will be in for a sunny day Wednesday before a sharp 24-hour cold spell begins later in the day Thursday and lasts through much of Friday.