The National Weather Service is cautioning motorists that blowing and drifting snow late Wednesday into Thursday could make travel very difficult to impossible in our area. A Winter Storm Warning has been posted for a large part of central Illinois – including Vermilion and Champaign counties – effective from 9 p.m. Tuesday (February 1st) until 6:00 p.m. Thursday.
Monday evening’s advisory on the storm said in excess of 12 inches of snow is possible, with some areas possibly nearing 20 inches. It will start as rain Tuesday then switch to freezing rain and then snow.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency says motorists should monitor the latest travel conditions. You can check www.gettingaroundillinois.com for the latest road conditions.
If you plan to travel during the storm, IEMA says you should make sure your vehicle is equipped with necessary gear in the event you get stranded. Suggested gear includes:
- A cell phone and charger
- Water and snacks, along with any medications
- A flashlight
- A blanket
- Boots, mittens and extra warm clothes
- A shovel, ice scraper and snow brush
- A bag of sand or cat litter to help get traction if you are stuck
- A full tank of gas
- Flares
- Jumper cables
- A first aid kit
Although road crews will be out plowing, the heavy snow is expected to make travel very difficult or impossible across our region. And colder temperatures will also be invading the area with lows in the single digits Thursday night and possibly dipping below zero Friday night.
[Note: The photo above is a file photo from VermilionCountyFirst.com. It is not from the storm system that will be impacting our area this week.]
