PEORIA — Arctic air and another round of snow are moving toward the Peoria area, bringing a potentially perilous weekend of winter weather to the region.
Snowfall is expected to begin Saturday morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Taylor told the Journal Star. The anticipated accumulation as of now is 3 to 5 inches of snow, but Taylor said it could end up being more as the northwest to southeast moving snow cell has been “tricky” to nail down.
Taylor said the cold temperatures will mean the area likely sees a “light, fluffy, powdery snow.”
More concerning than the snow, however, will be the dangerously low temperatures that will hit the Peoria area on Saturday and Sunday, Taylor said.
“Another thing, perhaps even more impactful to be aware of, is the extreme cold we’re going to be seeing,” Taylor said. “By Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening we’re going to have some true arctic air moving in and by Sunday morning windchill temperatures will be down around minus 20 to minus 25 below zero.”
Temperatures will hover in the teens on Saturday morning but will progressively get colder as wind chills make things dangerously cold. By Saturday night and into Sunday morning, the area could see wind chill temperatures as low as 25 below zero, Taylor said.
“Try to cover any exposed skin,” Taylor said. “Temperatures like that you are probably going to be seeing frostbite in less than a half an hour on any exposed skin. Especially if you’re driving, make sure you have a winter weather kit. Have warm clothes, some blankets, those types of things in case you have car trouble so you can be sure you can stay warm. That can be dangerous.”
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Arctic air, more snow moving to Peoria area. Here’s what to expect
Reporting by JJ Bullock, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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