We missed big snow, but wintry mess heading our way
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A winter storm moving across Illinois brought as much as 8 inches of snow to central parts of the state. But the Chicago area is just continuing to deal with cold and then a wintry mess that will come late Monday into Tuesday.
The National Weather Service says a wintry mix of precipitation will hit the area starting tonight and continue through Tuesday evening.
Precipitation will begin as snow tonight, with as much as 1-3 inches accumulation in some areas.
The snow could turn into sleet and freezing rain early Tuesday, with ice forming on roads, the weather service says. Residents can expect a slow morning commute on Tuesday.
The area could see some rain showers Tuesday morning into the afternoon.
Highs Tuesday afternoon should be around 40 degrees.
The service issued a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. Sunday for counties south of Springfield spanning the St. Louis area, Salem and Effingham. It called for snow over much of east central and southeastern Illinois with winds up to 10 mph and icy road conditions.
According to the weather service, preliminary local snow totals were about 8 inches in Effingham, DeWitt, Vermilion and Scott counties as of Sunday morning. The snow is part of a larger system moving through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
While the Chicago area escaped the brunt of the snowstorm moving from the Rockies to the Midwest, the city will still see some wintry precipitation early this week.
RECORD FOR BOSTON?
After cold and snow that set February records, southern New England is entering March with another round that could push Boston over its 20-year-old snowfall record.
With 102 inches, Boston needs 5.7 more to break the 1995-1996 record of 107.6.
Snowfall of 4 to 6 inches was expected by early Monday across the area, with up to 8 inches in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Less is expected in northern Massachusetts and New York state, and on Cape Cod.
“We have come this far, we might as well break the record,” said William Babcock, National Weather Service meteorologist in the Taunton, Massachusetts, office. “We have a couple of storms to push us over the record. Once that is done we won't complain if we don't get any more snow.”
Since it's early March, “we still have plenty of time,” he said.
The snow Sunday night into Monday was wetter than those earlier in the season, continuing the concern about potential roof collapses. “If you have flat roofs, it is certainly going to add to the weight,” Babcock said.
Elsewhere, heavy snow is expected in the central Rockies and Great Basin, and heavy rain in parts of the Southwest. Snow was falling from the Ohio Valley into the Northeast, with freezing rain in the Mid-Atlantic.
RECORD COLD
February 2015 was one for the record books in the Northeast.
The Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University says Buffalo, Syracuse, Binghamton and Ithaca, New York, shivered through their coldest months ever.
The average temperature was 10.9 degrees in Buffalo, beating the 1934 record of 11.4. The monthly average was 9.0 in Syracuse, 12.2 in Binghamton and 10.2 in Ithaca.
February record lows were also set in Hartford, Connecticut, at 16.1; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 20.9; and Portland, Maine at 13.8.
BLIZZARD, AVALANCHE WARNINGS
Weather forecasters in Colorado issued blizzard and avalanche warnings as Pacific moisture brought snow and strong winds to the Continental Divide Sunday. The storm is lasting through Monday, with another storm expected Tuesday. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Wolf Creek Pass and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued avalanche warnings for the South San Juan, Sangre de Cristo and Gunnison areas. The avalanche danger in southern Colorado has been increased to high.
MISSOURI DEATHS
Authorities reported three people, including one child, died in weather-related incidents in Missouri.
Two people were killed when a driver lost control on a snow-covered highway in Lebanon on Saturday when the car skidded into a tractor-trailer stopped because of an earlier crash on Interstate 44. The 20-year-old driver survived, but both passengers were ejected and killed.
In Nevada, Missouri, a boy died after falling through an ice-covered farm pond. Emergency crews rushed to the scene Saturday morning after a caller said three children were in the pond, according to fire officials. A bystander pulled one boy from the pond, and another boy was able to get out on his own, The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/1AKQuEl) reported.
Illinois and Indiana got 8 inches or more of snow Sunday from the same weather system.
MICHIGAN TOT HOSPITALIZED
A 3-year-old Lansing, Michigan, girl was hospitalized in critical condition after getting stuck overnight outside her family's apartment during frigid weather that marked the end of one of the coldest Februaries on record in Michigan.
According to police, the girl was treated for severe hypothermia. A relative found the girl on a sidewalk in front of the apartment complex about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Lansing police Sgt. Joe Brown told the Lansing State Journal (http://on.lsj.com/1M0N4PH). The temperature was 5 degrees at the time.
CALIFORNIA STORM
Crews worked to clean up a mudslide that shut down a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway northwest of Los Angeles early Sunday. The area received between a quarter-inch to half an inch of rain overnight, the weather service said. The threat of showers will linger until Monday morning when the cold low-pressure system moves out.
MARATHON CANCELED
Winter weather over the last few days in North Texas prompted organizers of the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth to cancel the race. The marathon, along with a 50K ultra marathon — both of which had been set for Sunday — were canceled. The half marathon, however, was held Sunday morning.
Heidi Swartz, Cowtown executive director, said the safety of runners, volunteers and spectators was the top priority.