* TIMING – SNOW WILL BEGIN LATER THIS MORNING…POSSIBLY BRIEFLY STARTING AS A MIX WITH RAIN. SNOW WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES…ESPECIALLY NEAR AND SOUTHEAST OF THE INTERSTATE 55 CORRIDOR. CONDITIONS WILL BEGIN TO IMPROVE BY MID TO LATE EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATION – ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY VARY SUBSTANTIALLY ACROSS THE WARNING AREA. HEAVY WET SNOW IS FORECAST TO ACCUMULATE 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER EASTERN WILL AND SOUTHEASTERN COOK COUNTIES…RANGING TO POSSIBLY AS LITTLE AS 1 TO 4 INCHES FAR NORTHWEST WILL AND NORTHWEST COOK COUNTIES. ISOLATED TOTALS NEAR A FOOT ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE INDIANA BORDER.

* MAIN IMPACT – STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL GUST 40 TO 50 MPH AT TIMES…WITH THE HIGHEST WINDS NEAR THE LAKE SHORE. WHERE HEAVY SNOW OCCURS…THIS WILL CREATE A WIND WHIPPED SNOW THAT WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO MAKING TRAVEL DANGEROUS…IF NOT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM…INCLUDING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING COMMUTE. NON EMERGENCY TRAVEL SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

* OTHER IMPACTS – USE CAUTION IF SHOVELING AS THE WET HEAVY
COMPOSITION OF THE SNOW MAY LEAD TO OVEREXERTION. IN
ADDITION… THE COMBINATION OF THIS SNOW TYPE WITH THE STRONG WINDS COULD RESULT IN POWER OUTAGES.

Instructions:

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.