An estimated 4.5 inches of snow fell in McLean County on Monday. (Photo by Eric Stock/WJBC)
By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – It didn't take long for the first measure snowfall of 2015 to arrive.
After a relatively mild start to the winter, Central Illinois was hit with its first heavy dose of snow on Monday, snarling traffic and prompting a host of event cancellations on Monday night.
A National Weather Service employee reported 4.5 inches of snow northeast of Bloomington-Normal at midnight. Peoria reported 5.1 inches of snow, while Eureka received five inches of snow. An NWS observer near Lincoln repored 1.9 inches early Tuesday.
Mark Leake, highway operations officer with the McLean County Highway Garage, tells WJBC the county has a fleet of 18 salt trucks and plows clearing the roads.
"We don't have much in the way of wind, so the snow isn't moving yet," Leake said. "Later this afternoon and tonight, they are talking the winds are going to kick up and then as light as the snow is, it will probably blow around and make things a mess again."
Leake said county roads are snowpacked, but passable but with caution.
"Remember it is winter, give yourself a little extra time," Leake said.
National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Birk says the heaviest band of snow whipped through the central part of Illinois, across Livingston, Ford and Iroquois counties.
Farther north, O'Hare International Airport reported 2 inches. According to FlightAware.com, more than 130 flights in and out of Chicago's two airports were canceled. The vast majority of them were at O'Hare.
The National Weather Service canceled its Winter Storm Warning for McLean County early Tuesday morning, but that was replaced by a Wind Chill Warning to take effect from midnight Wednesday until noon Thursday.
Wind chills are expected to be between 1 and 6 degrees in the overnight hours, according to the weather service, but will drop below zero during the daytime hours as temperatures rise to a high of 14.
On Tuesday night, temperatures will drop to -5 with wind chills as far as -21, causing some blowing and drifting snow. Temperatures will drop to -11 Wednesday night, before rising to a high of 16 on Thursday.
Click here for the latest cancellations and Illinois road conditions.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
