...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CST /4 PM EST/
THIS AFTERNOON...
...WIND CHILL WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY
MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY
MORNING. A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CST
/4 PM EST/ THIS AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE EARLY THIS MORNING OVER
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND FAR NORTHWEST INDIANA. THE HEAVY SNOWFALL
WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA BY LATE MORNING INTO
THE AFTERNOON. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL SHOULD END OVER NORTH
CENTRAL ILLINOIS EARLY THIS MORNING AND OVER NORTHEAST ILLINOIS
BY MID TO LATE MORNING. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL END OVER
NORTHWEST INDIANA BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
WILL GRADUALLY EASE AS WINDS SLOWLY SUBSIDE THIS MORNING INTO
THE AFTERNOON.

* ACCUMULATIONS...ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS THIS MORNING OF 2 TO 5
INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA...AND
OVER NORTHWEST INDIANA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE
ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE LESS THAN TWO INCHES. STORM
TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE IN THE 12 TO 18 INCH RANGE OVER
NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...INCLUDING ROCKFORD AND VICINITY. STORM
TOTALS OVER THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA SHOULD END UP IN THE
15 TO 24 INCH RANGE...WITH TOTALS FROM NORTHWEST INDIANA
SOUTHWEST INTO EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS IN THE 8 TO 14 INCH RANGE.
THE SEVERE BLOWING AND DRIFTING HAS RESULTED IN SNOW DRIFTS OF
OVER 5 FEET IN AREAS.

* WINDS...NORTHEAST WINDS FROM 20 TO 30 MPH...WITH WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH ARE LIKELY AWAY FROM THE LAKE THIS MORNING BEFORE
SUBSIDING THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 TO 20 MPH. NEAR THE LAKE MORE
FEROCIOUS WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 50 MPH ARE
LIKELY THIS MORNING BEFORE SUBSIDING TO 15 TO 25 MPH THIS
AFTERNOON.

* BLIZZARD CONDITIONS...FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH THE INTENSE
WINDS WILL RESULT IN WHITE OUT CONDITIONS OVER NORTHEAST
ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA THIS MORNING. OVER NORTH CENTRAL
ILLINOIS...FALLING SNOW HAS SUBSIDED HOWEVER THE STRONG WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT IN GROUND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS THIS
MORNING WITH ZERO VISIBILITY IN OPEN AREAS.

* TRAVEL...LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORT THAT NEARLY EVERY
ROADWAY IS IMPASSABLE AND IN MANY CASES CLOSED. A STATE OF
EMERGENCY HAS BEEN DECLARED AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ARE
PLEADING FOR PEOPLE TO STAY HOME AND OFF ROADWAYS. THERE HAVE
BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF CARS OFF ROADWAYS AND PEOPLE STRANDED
AND THE EXTREME CONDITIONS ARE MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR
RESCUE PERSONAL TO REACH THE STRANDED. VISIBILITIES ARE SO POOR
IN OPEN AREAS THAT MOTORISTS COULD BECOME DISORIENTED AND UNABLE
TO EVEN SEE BEYOND THE HOOD OF THEIR CARS. BEFORE CONSIDERING
GETTING ON THE ROADS THIS MORNING...ASK YOURSELF IF GETTING TO
YOUR DESTINATION IS WORTH RISKING YOUR LIFE. CONDITIONS WILL
LIKELY SLOWLY IMPROVE LATER THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON AS
WINDS SUBSIDE AND SNOW ENDS...BUT UNTIL THEN...DO NOT TRAVEL!

* POWER OUTAGES...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT
IN NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES. IN ADDITION...THE ADVERSE
CONDITIONS COULD MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO RESTORE POWER.

* OTHER IMPACTS...THE DEEP SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL MAKE SHOVELING
VERY DIFFICULT...AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY. DURING AND
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE BLIZZARD OF 1999 OVER 40 PEOPLE IN
THE CHICAGO AREA ALONE LOST THEIR LIVES TO HEART ATTACKS WHILE
SHOVELING THE HEAVY SNOWFALL. TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS INDOORS AND
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE TASK AT HAND WHEN SHOVELING.

* WIND CHILLS...STRONG WINDS AND COLD TEMPERATURES ARE RESULTING
IN VERY COLD CONDITIONS TODAY WITH WIND CHILLS NEAR ZERO.
HOWEVER TONIGHT...BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY WITH
TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 5 BELOW DOWNTOWN TO 20 BELOW IN THE
COLDEST OUTLYING AREAS. THE WINDS WILL SUBSIDE TONIGHT...BUT
STILL STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE WIND CHILLS OF 20 TO 40 BELOW
ZERO.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT
CONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL! IF
YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU.
IF YOU GET STRANDED...STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

A WIND CHILL WATCH MEANS THE THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A
COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS TO CREATE
DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS
AND WARNINGS FOR UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.