Hazardous Weather Outlook
Issued by NWS Central Illinois

Severe Thunderstorms, Snow, High Winds and Plunging Temperatures across Central, East Central and Southeast Illinois during the next 12 hours!!

Low pressure will develop over northeast Missouri Tuesday morning, then rapidly intensify and track into Michigan by evening. As it does, it will pull a strong cold front through central Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours. Ahead of the front, breezy and unseasonably warm weather will persist for much of the day. Temperatures today will range from the lower 50s around the Galesburg area to a balmy 58 degrees in Lawrenceville. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop...with some of the storms potentially becoming strong to severe east of Interstate 55 from 200 pm until 600 pm this afternoon. The primary threat from any storms that occur will be damaging straight line wind gusts.

Once the front passes to the east, very strong west to northwest winds will transport sharply colder conditions into the area. Sustained winds are expected to be in the 25 to 35 mph range...with gusts approaching 50 mph. The high winds will develop across the Illinois River Valley after 200 pm...then will spread eastward to the Indiana border by early evening. In addition...lingering rain showers behind the front are expected to change to snow showers as temperatures rapidly drop through the 30s. By the time the snow comes to an end Tuesday evening, most areas will receive little or no accumulation...however locations along and northwest of a Canton to Minonk line may pick up as much as one inch of snow.

To compound matters, the combination of the very strong west winds and any snow that does accumulate later this afternoon and evening may produce some very difficult driving conditions for a few hours with considerable blowing snow, especially in the outlying areas. In addition, temperatures will drop some 40 to 50 degrees from today’s highs by late tonight as the blast of Arctic air funnels into central, east central and southeast Illinois. Low temperatures by Wednesday morning will plunge to near zero in Galesburg to the lower or middle teens far southeast. Wind chill readings will drop to between 5 below and 15 below zero by morning along and north of a Springfield to Champaign line with single digit readings across the southeast. Winds are expected to gradually diminish after midnight as the potent low pressure system pulls away from the area.