After Brief Warmup, Illinois Could Get a Surprise Snowstorm Shock

Enjoy the warm weather that has started to move into Illinois because it won't last long. There is a real chance after this incoming brief warmup that the Land of Lincoln could get quite a surprise snowstorm shock not long after it gets nice.

Since I'm required by law to follow multiple weather experts online (according to my meteorologist wife), I end up seeing more advanced forecasts than the normal person. Today, I had Max Velocity - Severe Weather Center on YouTube looking at this coming week and was surprised to see what a computer model he uses sees as a possibility for Illinois.

This is what the GFS weather model shows for early Wednesday morning, December 11. Yes, that blue on the map is snow.

As Max explains it, after the warm temperatures for a couple of days, an arctic blast will hit Illinois from the north around the same time as a front is moving through that will have moisture. By the time it's done, this is the snow amount most of Illinois could see and that even includes a small band possible in Missouri.

It's important to note that this doesn't represent a life-altering amount of snow. Only a few inches possible, but it does include nearly all of the northern half of Illinois.

We're only a few days away from this system moving through the Midwest, so the computer model should be fairly reliable. However, don't alter any plans until you see an official forecast from the National Weather Service. These models are useful to know what is possible, but variables can and do change.