Winter storm warning canceled for Springfield but brutally cold temperatures continue

After Springfield's first major snow event of the season Thursday, an Arctic chill is sticking around into the weekend, creating one of the coldest Christmas weekends in recent memory.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln canceled Sangamon County's winter storm warning Friday, with conditions relatively clear Friday morning in some parts of the city and the sun even peeking out of the clouds to say hello.

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Still, temperatures remained exceedingly low, coming in at -8 degrees at 9:30 a.m. in Springfield with a wind chill of -33 degrees. As a result, a wind chill warning was put into effect until Saturday at 9 a.m. for Sangamon, Menard, Christian, Logan, Montgomery, Macoupin and Morgan counties, among others.

The projected high temperature for Springfield on Friday is 2 degrees above zero, which would fall slightly above the coldest high temperature on this day for the city, which came in 1983 when the high was -3 degrees.

How much snow did we get?

All of this comes after less than an inch of snow fell on Springfield Thursday but high winds created a swirl of blowing snow across much of the area. In addition to that, temperatures dropped significantly as the day went on, going to zero degrees by 4 p.m.

Rebekka Delaney, a meteorologist with NWS, said that the system providing Arctic air in central Illinois moved into the area faster than expected, with temperatures moving from 34 degrees at 7 a.m. to 7 degrees by noon.

"The speed that it moved through was significantly faster than originally forecast, causing temperatures to drop drastically in a couple of hours," Delaney said.

What's ahead for the weekend?

A chance of flurries remains a possibility into Friday afternoon, albeit nothing significant. Despite this, due to the blowing snow and high winds, the flurries could cause continued issues with visibility on the roadways.

"The flurries coming out of the clouds will just add to the amount of flakes flying through the air due to the strong winds," Delaney said. "We have received numerous reports (of poor visibility) – I cannot tell you off the top of my head, but most of our spotters have reported it."

Strong winds and patches of blowing snow, particularly in rural areas, will continue into Saturday before it clears up for good by Saturday evening. By Sunday – Christmas Day – conditions will be clear, even if it will still be cold.

Still, we're not out of the woods yet as it comes to snow, as Delaney pointed out that a system coming from the Pacific has the potential to bring with it some flakes Sunday night into Monday morning.

"We are keeping an eye on it," Delaney said. "As of right now, I cannot speak to the impacts, but there is some probability that we might get some snow out of it."

The impacts on travel

Even with conditions clearing up in Springfield, the storm continues to impact travel for many, with the Illinois Department of Transportation reporting that nearly every road surrounding Springfield was at least partially covered in ice or snow. The road issues are worse up north near Chicago, with several main highways, such as Interstate 55 from Livingston County northward being mostly covered in snow.

Amtrak's four canceled Lincoln Service trains remain on hold through the weekend, with only three routes scheduled to run through Springfield Friday. Two of those routes – the Lincoln Service 302 and Texas Eagle 22 – have had delays of over an hour.

Both of Greyhound's buses to cross into Springfield Friday have been canceled.

Power outages reported

City Water, Light and Power received reports of two power outages Thursday, with the first outage coming around 6 p.m. along Westwood Terrace just off West Jefferson Street. CWLP spokesperson Amber Sabin said that the outage came due to a series of tree branches becoming tangled with power lines due to high winds, with ten customers being impacted as a result.

Shortly afterward, CWLP responded to an outage along Old Jacksonville Road near Lambert Lane, Rantoul Street and Cardinal Drive that impacted around 50 customers. Sabin said that power was out in that area for three hours and came as a result of a burnt wire blown around by high winds. Power was restored shortly after 9 p.m. to all customers.

Sabin said that little pockets of outages occurred Friday morning, with Sam's Club on West White Oaks Drive being out of power for a period prior to opening. According to store associates, operations are running smoothly despite the outage, with the only casualty being their bakery oven.

The city's overflow shelter saw 54 people come through their doors Thursday, down from Wednesday's 66 despite the frigid temperatures. Will Salmon of the Salvation Army said that many people chose to find a family member to spend time with rather than hunker down at the shelter.

What to do if your car gets stuck

Molly Hart, spokesperson for AAA, recommends that if you get stuck on the road during winter weather to stay in the car and keep your seatbelt on in order to ensure that you stay stable if another car decides to join you.

In addition to that, Hart said that if one needs to pull over for any reason and can still start the engine, they should keep the engine running only long enough to keep the vehicle warm while waiting for help. She also recommends that people check their battery strength just in case something goes bad and make sure that their windshield wipers are working properly.

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Hart also pointed out that people should keep an abrasive material such as sand or kitty litter to help provide traction for a vehicle stuck in snow and mud. AAA also recommends that people clear away as much snow as they can before placing the car in low or second gear and gently pushing the accelerator.

If all else fails, Hart recommends that people contact AAA – if they're a member – and request service. Hart said that data on the number of calls received by the agency was unavailable, due to the need to serve customers that comes from the high volume of requests.

"Because of the weather and the high volume, it will be prioritized, making sure that the emergency situations are taken care of first," Hart said.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Here's what you need to know about Friday's brutal cold in Springfield