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Here it comes: Snow on the way

By Scott Fitzgerald, The Southern

National Weather Service officials warn Southern Illinois residents to not be deceived by forecasted light snow accumulation early this morning.

Snowfall intensity will accelerate toward noon and remain steady throughout the afternoon, with up to 3 inches of accumulation in Carbondale, Marion and Rend Lake, according to the NWS Paducah office.

"For the individuals going to work, they may say it's not as bad as anticipated. The main concern is late-morning ... snowfall through lunch to the late evening hours. The evening commute is likely to be hazardous," meteorologist Robin Smith said.

NWS is forecasting up to 8 inches of accumulation today in counties south of Williamson.

Cold Saturday

There is a chance of more flurries Saturday morning, with winds up to 20 mph from the north and drifting snow most of the day.

"The winds will taper off into flurries. Winds and the wind chill factor will pose problems on Saturday, especially for road crews working on roads going east to west," Smith said.

A low temperature Saturday is expected to dip to 5 degrees.

Sunday's forecast calls for sunny skies with a high near 29 degrees.

Sandra Webster, manager of the Little Egypt Network chapter of American Red Cross, said Thursday she had not received alerts from any of the emergency management agencies the Red Cross serves in its 14 Southern Illinois counties.

"We're going to hope for the best," Webster said, noting all shelters have been identified in the area at schools, churches and civic halls. The Red Cross is equipped and prepared to move supplies to shelters if they are to open.

Plenty of salt

One advantage road crews have now from a year ago is plenty of salt for the roads and highways.

"We're in real good shape," said Keith Miley from the Illinois Department of Transportation office in Carbondale.

Miley said his road crews have 32,000 tons of salt to work with, which is about 4,000 tons below warehouse capacity.

A winter season typically averages about 14,000 tons in the 16-county district that Miley's office serves.

"This year, we're satisfied to get salt at a cheaper price, from $95 per ton a year ago to $67 per ton this year," he said.

State road crews were busy Thursday doing preparation work for the snowstorm by spreading brine on bridges, overpasses and shaded areas.

"We're getting all of our snow trucks ready, too," Miley said.

Likewise in Williamson County, the county highway department people were busy Thursday getting ready for snow.

County engineer Jim Webb said his workers were mounting snowplows on their trucks and loading necessary equipment in the county barn.