Thursday morning rush could be tough going
The Midwest is bracing for a one-two punch beginning Wednesday night; lake-effect snow followed by one of the coldest surges to occur in a December here since 1989. A powerful storm lifting out of the Gulf threatens the southeastern Midwest with heavy snows in coming days—burying an area from Paducah and Louisville, Ky. NE to Cleveland, Ohio beneath as much as a foot of snow. The storm’s circulation is to tug intensely cold air south the length of Lake Michigan into the Chicago area—a set-up expected to ignite heavy lake snows across Indiana—and, ultimately lower Michigan. These snows could, for at least a time late Wednesday night/Thursday morning, build westward into sections of NE Illinois. This may include eastern Lake, Cook and Will counties. Some computer models suggest as much as 0.20” water equivalent precip may fall in these areas by/during the a.m rush hour Thursday, which at the temp levels predicted then could fluff up into 3 or 4” of snow.
-Tom Skilling