Love It Or Hate It, Snow Officially In The Forecast For Illinois

It's obvious that the temperatures are getting colder in Illinois as we head toward the end of the year and inch closer to the official winter season. It means that snow will begin to be a part of the forecast and that's what we are looking at for next week.

Having snow in the forecast for Illinois this time of year isn't unusual, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. We're going to get snow pretty darn close to the average date of the season's first snow in our area. As we start to see snow in our forecast, it's also a good reminder to start preparing your home and vehicle for winter.

Illinois Has Snow In The Upcoming Forecast

While it may sound scary that we have snow heading toward Illinois and the Quad Cities, let me assure you we aren't going to get 12 feet of snow the first time it falls. Honestly, it might not even be measurable. Yes, there could be snowflakes but there isn't a reason to get carried away like Meteorologist Emily Wahls tells us:

We're about a week away from seeing the first flurries of the season but those flurries will actually be accompanied by rain. At the time of writing this article, the NWS forecast doesn't even get to when our predict first flurries will be.

Taking a look at the 10-day outlook from both NBC 5 and The Weather Channel, we can see that there is a chance for some early morning snow showers on Thursday, November 21st, which will be mixed with some rain and eventually transition into rain. With the ground temperature still in the low-50s, snow right now wouldn't even stick.

If we do see some snow next Thursday, we'll be pretty much spot on when we on average see our first snowfall in Illinois. The National Weather Service says we see our first traces of snow in Illinois around October 31, but our first measurable snow of 0.1 inches of snow or more is typically around November 18.

The earliest first trace of snow we've seen in history was on Sept. 25th in 1928 and 1942. The latest first snowfall happened on Dec. 5th, 1999.

Essential Winter Emergency Kit Items

Winter season in the Quad Cities means cold temperatures, heavy snow, and slick roads. Hopefully, you won't ever need to tap into your winter emergency kit, but it's better to have one in your car than to be unprepared. Make sure you have these essential items in your car before winter arrives in the Quad Cities.

Gallery Credit: Connor Kenney/Townsquare Media Quad Cities

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