Live blog: Snow for Bloomington-Normal and rest of Central Illinois

Snow from a predicted winter storm that moved across the Midwest fell mostly south of Peoria, but some roads may still be slick this morning from the inch or so of snow that fell around Bloomington-Normal as public works crews continue to work.

Gusting winds have caused snow to drift and cover roads in more rural or open parts of McLean County, including parts of Rt. 150 near Bloomington and El Paso and Business Rt. 51 — or Main Street — also in Bloomington. Both Interstate 39 and Interstate 55 near Towanda have also been impacted.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has also reported parts of I-74 covered with snow, including stretches between Morton and Bloomington. IDOT also reported part of Veterans Parkway in Bloomington were covered in snow early today.

IDOT maintains a map of state roads and their conditions that it updates periodically; Bloomington residents can get a more tailored view of roads in their neighborhood and whether public works crews are servicing them by visiting this map.

Public Works Director Mose Rickey said crews were still salting roads as of 7:30 Monday morning and have been able to keep main areas largely clear. He said gusty winds have been blowing snow back onto the road and crews have been focused on clearing secondary areas.

Bloomington lifted its street parking ban earlier this morning.

In Normal, Director of Engineering and Public Works Ryan Otto said crews made passes through most residential neighborhoods early this morning. Most roads should be open as normal, though Otto did note they will be slick. He said the conditions are a byproduct of low temperatures making the salt used on roads a little less effective.

The heavier snow last night and into this morning fell south of McLean County. Lincoln received closed to 5 inches. Parts of Decatur got close to 7 inches.

All Lincoln Service routes from Union Station Chicago to Uptown Station in Normal were canceled on Sunday.

The scheduled 11:56 a.m. Monday arrival is canceled along with two evening routes. The scheduled 4:04 p.m. Monday arrival time is time listed as on-time on Amtrak’s website as of 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Bloomington-Normal to Chicago route set for an 11:12 a.m. Monday departure is delayed, while the other routes are canceled.

All Lincoln Service routes from Uptown Station to Springfield were canceled for Sunday. The 4:04 p.m. departure to Springfield was the only Monday trip still on schedule.

The late morning Springfield to Bloomington-Normal route scheduled for an 11:08 a.m. Monday arrival is delayed, while the remainder are canceled.

Amtrak also canceled Sunday’s Texas Eagle trip from San Antonio to Chicago as one of a wide range of cancellations prompted by dangerous cold and other winter weather that’s impacted the Midwest and much of the country.

Amtrak passengers can check the status of their trips on Amtrak’s website.

Drier winds will hinder the northward movement of this weekend's winter storm, the National Weather Service in Lincoln said.

Snowfall is still expected to hit the McLean, Tazewell, Woodford and Peoria county areas later today, though earlier projections indicated snow would begin falling in the morning.

The NWS now says accumulation across Central Illinois will continue overnight into Monday morning.

McLean, Tazewell, Woodford and Peoria counties remain under a winter weather advisory until noon Monday.

Whether Bloomington-Normal receives a little snow or a lot, first responders are urging drivers to exercise caution on slick roads.

Normal Police officers have responded to nearly 50 crashes related to snow or slick road conditions, the department shared on social media Saturday.

NPD urged drivers to add extra time to their commute and increased the distance between cars to minimize the risk of crashes or collisions.

Statewide, the Illinois Department of Transportation said it would pretreat roads in areas prone to icing, though it urged people to avoid traveling during the storm if possible.

IDOT shares weather-specific road conditions on this map, including what kinds of hazards to expect.

The heaviest snowfall from a predicted winter storm Sunday will likely be south of Bloomington-Normal, per the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

The NWS' latest update indicates much of Central Illinois will see the snow start Sunday morning — between 6-10 a.m. in McLean, Woodford, Tazewell and Peoria counties.

Areas near Interstate 74 will likely see the snow hold off until after sunrise, the NWS said.

Total snowfall amounts have been increased from earlier this morning, with much of McLean County expected to see between 3-8 inches of snow and Peoria County between 2-6 inches, the NWS said.

As snow begins falling in the Bloomington-Normal area in the late morning, it's also expected to accumulate a half an inch or inch per hour. The area may also see blowing snow late Sunday night into Monday morning.

Areas north of Bloomington-Normal may see light snow and overall snowfall rates will remain low.

McLean County is under a winter weather advisory until noon Monday, with roads expected to be impacted during the Monday morning commute.

New info from the National Weather Service's Lincoln office indicates McLean and surrounding counties may only see 2-4 inches of snowfall from the weekend's predicted winter storm.

McLean, Tazewell, Woodford and Peoria counties have all been downgraded to a winter weather advisory.

Counties to the south, including Logan and DeWitt, remain under a more severe winter storm warning with totals of 4-6 inches of snow expected in those areas.

The advisory kicks in at 6 a.m. Sunday and is expected to remain in effect until noon on Monday.

The storm is expected to begin over the Great Plains late into the day Saturday and make its way east to the Ohio Valley on Sunday, according to the NWS Weather Prediction Center.

Even if some areas do see lower snowfall totals than originally anticipated, the NWS in Lincoln said it expects road conditions to be slippery in Central Illinois as the storm system crosses the Midwest.

The NWS recommended checking road conditions via gettingaroundillinois.com.

A snow parking ban will go into effect on all streets within the Town of Normal effective 8 a.m. Sunday and will remain in effect until Monday at noon.

When a parking ban is in effect, no parked cars are permitted on any streets in the Town of Normal. The police department may ticket vehicles parked on the street.

Cars must be moved off the streets to a driveway, garage, or parking lot. Residents who do not have a driveway or garage may park their cars for free in the parking lots of the town’s parks, including but not limited to: Anderson, Fairview, and Underwood.

A snow parking ban is activated to allow snowplow crews to clear the entire street including parking areas. For your safety, when approaching operating salt vehicles, stay at least 100 feet behind the equipment. It is inadvisable to pass salt or plow trucks.

The city of Bloomington plans to enact a snow route parking ban starting at 6 a.m. Sunday. It will remain in effect until further notice.

The city says residents who don't have access to a driveway or alternate off-street parking can park for free at city parking garages or city lots and parks.

The city has an interactive map for snow removal on its website.

National Weather Service

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The first major snowstorm of the winter is heading to Bloomington-Normal this weekend. But exactly how much accumulation to anticipate remains unclear.

John Bumgardner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lincoln, says the Twin Cities could get anywhere from 2-7 inches from the system that’s expected to reach the area Sunday morning.

“Models had been fairly consistent the last several days, and then yesterday morning, they shifted a little bit north,” Bumgardner said Friday. “Then yesterday evening, a little bit south, and this morning a little bit south again. So we’re in the process of updating the forecast.”

Bumgardner said Central Illinois is likely to see the heaviest snow falling Sunday afternoon into evening, with precipitation ending by Monday morning. He said the highest snowfall figures will likely be south of Interstate 72, but that forecast still could change.

“This system that the models are forecasting for has just come on shore along the west coast, so it's still pretty far away,” he said. “Obviously, it'll be moving over a big part of the country over the next couple days, so there’s some uncertainty.

“In weather models, especially as you get further out in time, we start to see a little bit of the butterfly effect. Any error in the model can result in significant errors in the forecast several days in the future.”