Gusty east to southeast winds, which took hold Wednesday afternoon, continue
Thursday. They're part of the circulation of a powerful autumn storm that has drenched
the Plains and western Midwest in recent days. Rainfall exceeded 3 inches there
Wednesday as powerful 55+ m.p.h. gusts raked an area from South Dakota to Kansas.
The wind, in combination with a 2-inch coating of wet snow, downed trees in O'Neill,
Neb., while 4.16 inches of rain doused Beaver City in south-central Nebraska. A
blizzard warning was issued for northwest Kansas and motorists were warned that 50
m.p.h. winds and heavy snow threatened to slash visibilities to a quarter-mile or less
with local white-out conditions into Thursday.
The storm, cut off from a powerful jet stream steering winds to the north, is only
expected to crawl across the Midwest, delaying rain's arrival in Chicago until early
Friday. Once here, rainfall could reach a half inch or more.
SEASON'S COLDEST CHILL YET BOOSTS LATE WEEKEND FLURRY
POTENTIAL
Early-season arctic air brings back-to-back 40s Sunday and Monday. Sprinkles could
mix with some flurries.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
