UPDATE: 10:21 a.m.
Peoria, Ill — The first blast of winter continues causing a variety of impacts in central Illinois and now public works crews are confirmed to be out with salt trucks around Peoria County.
A note from county Public Works Director Sie Maroon said, “Snow Fighters are currently on the streets treating our 17 routes city wide with rock salt and plowing the slush off of the routed main arterial streets. We are expecting to see approximately 1.5 inches of wet snow for an accumulation this morning.
He said snow was quickly turning into slush on the roadways making for more hazardous driving conditions.
Snowy weather may be to blame for a traffic crash that had an intersection closed west of Hanna City.
The county says a crash closed the intersection of Farmington Road at Eden Road sometime shortly after 9 a.m.
Today’s snowfall is the first appreciable amount of the winter season and one of the latest such events in recorded history.
If Peoria had gotten to January 4th without any snow — it would have set a record for lack of snow that we haven’t seen since the early 20th Century.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Peoria, Ill — Peoria and Central Illinois gets its first real taste of winter just a few days past Christmas.
Forecasters had been issuing alerts about a rain-snow mix during the early hours Tuesday.
The precipitation arrived in the Peoria-metro between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
Downtown Peoria saw light to moderate snow falling initially, which was then expected to transition into some freezing rain and then soft rain throughout the afternoon.
The National Weather Service had forecast possible snow accumulations of close to one inch, although they expected those snowfall accumulations would be primarily on grassy areas and not on roads.
Still, forecasters have warned drivers of potentially slick roads, bridges and overpasses, especially for anyone traveling into northern Illinois, where winter weather advisories are posted for later Tuesday.
It is the first appreciable snowfall of the winter season and one of the latest such events in recorded history.
If Peoria had gotten to January 4th without any snow — it would have set a record for lack of snow that we haven’t seen since the early 20th Century.
