Much of Illinois is expecting its first major snowstorm of the season this week. The National Weather Service in Chicago on Monday issued a winter weather advisory for northeastern Illinois, including Chicago, and a winter weather warning for much of northwestern Illinois.
Parts of central Illinois will also see some wintry weather, with the advisory extending south to roughly Interstate 72, including Springfield, Champaign, and Decatur.
The storm is expected to deliver multiple rounds of wintry weather on Monday and on Tuesday morning. Parts of northwestern Illinois could receive up to one inch per hour of snowfall, creating difficult to dangerous travel conditions on Tuesday night in northwestern Illinois, including in areas around Rockford and Dixon and as far south as Quincy.
Driving conditions are expected to be dangerous in parts of Illinois, with 45 mph wind gusts reducing visibility and impairing the snow removal efforts of the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“The safest option during winter weather always is to avoid unnecessary trips. If you are driving, expect travel to be slow and build plenty of extra time into your schedule throughout the week,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in a Monday news release.
Osman noted that winter driving conditions can sometimes take several days to clear and encouraged people to visit GettingAroundIlliois.com , a website that IDOT uses to deliver real-time road conditions.
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