Blizzard warning issued for southern Illinois

Parts of southern Illinois could see heavy winds and close to a foot of snow as a winter storm moves into the area tonight.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., has issued a blizzard warning for the southern part of the state starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The warning is in effect through noon Wednesday.

The weather service says 8 to 11 inches of snow is expected from the Evansville, Ill., area south of St. Louis and east into western Kentucky.

More than a foot of snow could fall in some places. Wind gusts up to 40 mph are expected to make travel difficult.

The storm is part of a larger system that already is making for a sloppy Christmas Day trek in parts of the nation's midsection.