WINTER STORM WATCH in Effect Thursday Evening Through Late Thursday Night

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1041 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012

LAKE IL-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-LAKE IN-PORTER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WAUKEGAN...AURORA...WHEATON...CHICAGO...
OSWEGO...MORRIS...JOLIET...GARY...VALPARAISO
1041 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH
LATE THURSDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE
THURSDAY NIGHT.

* TIMING...RAIN WILL CHANGE TO WET SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST LATE
THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY EVENING...POSSIBLY HEAVY AT
TIMES...LINGERING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. STRONG WINDS WILL
DEVELOP LATER THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THURSDAY NIGHT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATION: CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT TOTALS OF 2 TO 6
INCHES ARE LIKELY...WITH THE HIGHER AMOUNTS MORE FAVORED TO BE
IN THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST SUBURBS OF CHICAGO.

* WIND: WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 30 TO 40 MPH
BY LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THURSDAY NIGHT WITH
GUSTS TO 50 TO 60 MPH PROBABLE.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF THE SNOW AND VERY STRONG WINDS WILL
RESULT IN GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND POSSIBLY NEAR
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. FALLING TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE ROADS TO
BECOME SNOW COVERED AND TRAVEL TREACHEROUS. THIS WILL LIKELY
IMPACT THE LATTER PORTION OF THE EVENING RUSH HOUR. THE STRONG
WINDS MAY ALSO RESULT IN MINOR DAMAGE AND SPORADIC POWER
OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.




WINTER STORM WATCH, NWS WINTER STORM WATCH, National Weather Service