Snow Seen Statewide; Potential Record-breaking Cold Settling In

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Published on January 2 2014 8:09 am
Last Updated on January 2 2014 3:20 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

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Most of Illinois is digging out from a New Year's snowstorm.

Some areas in northern Illinois got as much as a foot of snow from Tuesday afternoon through this morning.  Much of Chicagoland will continue to see lake-effect snow throughout the afternoon and could end up with upwards of 14 to 15 inches before it's all over.

Central and southern parts of the state saw up to four inches of snow, including our listening area. Another hindrance has been the windy weather, which is blowing this light snow into drifts.  IDOT said most roads are snow-covered, but had not received any reports of accidents involving injuries. That was echoed by the Effingham County Sheriff's Department, and the Effingham City Police Department said things have been basically quiet.

As of Thursday morning, just about every major interstate in Illinois is covered in snow and ice.  I-55 is completely covered in ice from St. Louis to Springfield, then it lets up just slightly as drivers head in to Bloomington.  I-57 is slick from Effingham all the way through Kankakee and to I-94.  I-64 is just about completely covered from St. Louis to Mount Vernon.  And, 72 from Jacksonville to Decatur is also in pretty bad shape.  Anyone who has to get out on the roads should use extreme caution, take it slow, and keep their headlights on.

Tonight, the emphasis will shift from snow to cold.  Temperatures will dip to single digits and even below zero in parts of the state.  Potentially record-breaking cold weather is in store later in the weekend following the possiibility of several more inches of snowfall on Sunday. Forecast details are in our weather section.