Dangerous cold weather is gripping the quad-state area Monday and it's likely going to continue for the next 24 hours.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Presley says temperatures won't get much above zero on Monday, with gusty winds pushing that "feels like" temperature even colder: "We're really expecting temperatures to remain fairly steady through the day with that very strong Northwest wind 15 miles an hour with some gusts as high as 20, 25, 30-miles an hour."
Presley says that means wind chill values well below zero for the region. Frostbite and other cold-weather conditions will set in much more quickly in this weather, so Presley and others say staying home is the best bet.
The National Weather Service in Anchorage Alaska, reported that the lows Monday morning in Alaska were warmer than in Illinois. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Illinois was minus 36 degrees in Congerville in January of 1999. That's a town located in Woodford County between Peoria and Bloomington. State climatologist Jim Angel says this type of arctic blast doesn't make it this far south very often. Angel says these temperatures are comparable to those usually found in Alaska and Canada this time of year.
Chicago got almost a foot of snow on Sunday, the most since the blizzard of 2011. In southern Illinois, total snowfall ranged from a few inches to nearly a foot. The National Weather Service in Paducah says some flash freezing was happening early Sunday afternoon, as rain that fell early in the day froze quickly as temperatures plummeted across the region.
A whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a "polar vortex" is expected to suppress temperatures in more than half of the continental U.S. Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to bottom out at minus 15 overnight in some places, and hover around zero on Monday and Tuesday morning, with wind chills of 10-20 degrees below zero possible. Temperatures in southern Illinois are expected to climb into the mid to high teens on Tuesday and to the mid to upper 30's4 by the end of the week.
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The National Weather Service has upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning for all of the WSIU Radio listening area. A Wind Chill Warning has also been issued for most of the region.
The Winter Storm Warning is in effect from Midnight Saturday until 6:00 pm Sunday. The Wind Chill Warning is in effect from 6:00 pm Sunday until 9:00 am Tuesday.
The storm will begin as mostly rain across much of southeast Missouri and southern Illinois from late Saturday night through daybreak Sunday. Some sleet is possible north of Interstate 64. The transition to all snow will happen quickly after sunrise in areas north of a line from Van Buren Missouri
to Marion and Mt Carmel Illinois. The transition to snow will gradually spread southeast through the remainder of the area early Sunday afternoon. The snow will come to a rapid end from west to east Sunday night.
Expect an accumulation of 2 to 4 inches early Sunday morning. Total snowfall over the region will range from 3 to 8 inches between the IL-13 corridor and the I-64 corridor. Snow fall amounts north of I-64 will range from 9 to 13 inches. Locally
higher amounts can be expected.
Travel conditions will deteriorate late Saturday night and through the day Sunday. Gusty northwest winds will bring extremely cold air into the region Sunday through Tuesday. Temperatures will fall below zero over much of the area late Sunday night and remain below zero through the day Monday and into Tuesday morning. Wind chill readings will range from 10 below to 30 below zero. The National Weather Service says that means exposed skin will begin to freeze within 30-minutes leading to the danger of frostbite. If you must venture outdoors make sure you wear a hat and gloves.
Slick Road conditions will likely continue through the first half of next week. Any travel and outdoor activity is strongly discouraged due to these dangerously cold conditions. Remember to provide adequate shelter for your outdoor pets.
