Accuweather: Double Blizzards Possible for Illinois Next Week

A meteorologist is predicting a potentially wild weather week for Illinois. He says that over the next 10 days, Illinois could see not just one blizzard, but perhaps even two. His explanation why will make you want to stock up on groceries and gas up your vehicle.

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Bernie Rayno is a meteorologist for Accuweather. There's a new video just shared to YouTube from his Chaos to Clarity podcast. What he's predicting for Illinois is stunning. While I'm going to summarize what Bernie said, I highly recommend you watch his full video as he explains details of the why behind these two storm systems and why they could be so devastating to Illinois.

Let's begin with the first system which is expected to travel through Missouri and Illinois beginning Monday, January 8 with some level of snowfall by Tuesday night, January 9. Bernie says that because this first system will not have arctic air to tap into, he expects the heaviest blizzard-like conditions to impact eastern Illinois including Chicago.

Once that system has moved through Missouri and Illinois, another one will follow. As of this writing, it appears this 2nd storm will arrive in Illinois the weekend of January 13 and 14, 2024. The next one WILL have arctic air which will combine with all the moisture resulting in even more snowfall potentially (that's a key word). He says that the second system COULD cause big problems for west-central Illinois. Those lines that are close together indicate very strong winds combined with that potential snowfall by the way (aka blizzard conditions) That's maybe blizzard #2 over Illinois in a week.

Bernie Rayno said it in his video and podcast and I'll emphasize it here. There's no way to know exactly where that second low pressure system will be as it moves across the country. It could be further south or east. That will determine if Illinois gets clobbered twice in a week or just a less severe snowstorm.

Let's be clear that this is NOT a forecast. This is a warning to watch weather developments twice next week in Illinois. It's a good idea to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.