Sub-Zero Temps Due In Central Illinois After Snow

A National Weather Service meteorologist based in central Illinois says the region should get ready for “some of the coldest air'' it's seen in a long time.

Meteorologist Ed Shimon says forecasts for central Illinois call for highs Monday and Tuesday at or just below zero.  Lows could drop to 12 or 13 degrees below zero at night.

The arctic blast is due just after a winter storm moved across the state, bringing snow totals between 3 and 5 inches to parts of central Illinois.

Shimon says wind-chill warnings haven't been issued yet, but probably will.  That means wind chills will be at 25 degrees below zero or colder in the region.

Snowfall in the region is to blame for one fatal crash near Decatur.  Illinois State Police say an east-bound car slid off Interstate-72, striking a draining culvert, and flipped upside down just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.  A passenger died, while the driver was treated for injuries.  No names have been released. 

Forecasters say some northern Illinois communities could get another eight inches of lake effect snow.  The National Weather Service says today’s lake effect snow could extend as far west as Joliet.

Chicago is expected to get another 4 to 6 inches, and some spots could get up to eight inches.   Forecasters say some areas of northern Illinois have already received more than 11 inches of snow.