Peoria, Ill. (WMBD) — Just a few days after a storm brought up to 2.0 inches of snow to parts of Central Illinois on Thursday, another storm system is on track to sweep through Central Illinois this weekend bringing more rain and snow to the area.
Key Takeaways
- Rain develops Saturday afternoon
- Quick change over to wintry mix and snow Saturday evening
- Up to a few inches of wet snow possible north of I-74
Saturday will start of dry with cloudy skies and a bit of an easterly breeze, but another storm system will be working it’s way into Central Illinois by early afternoon. Precipitation will likely start as rain south of I-80 and arrive between 3 pm and 5 pm west of the Illinois River. Rain will then gradually spread east of the river between 5 pm and 9 pm while simultaneously changing to snow along and north of I-74.
Periods of moderate to heavy wet snow are expected along and north of I-74 between 10 pm and 3 am, though light snow showers and flurries may linger into Sunday morning. With surface temperatures above freezing, snow accumulations will likely be limited to grassy and elevated surfaces. Some slush may start to collect on area roadways after midnight where persistent bands of heavy snow develop.
Snowfall & Rainfall Forecast
The current thinking is that the most widespread accumulating snow will remain north of I-74 where most areas will receive somewhere between 1-3 inches of accumulation. Amounts become a bit more questionable along I-74 due to questions as to where the rain/snow line sets up and the risk of a prolonged period of a wintry mix. With that uncertainty in mind, accumulations for Galesburg, Peoria and Bloomington are expected to range from just a trace to up to 2 inches. Areas south of I-74 will likely struggle to reach an inch of accumulation.
Rain and melted snow amounts will generally be light with less than a half inch of moisture expected region wide.
