National Weather Service-Lincoln meteorologist Mike Albano joined Galesburg's Morning News to discuss the “slam-dunk” historic storm hitting west-central Illinois this weekend — timeline, two-phase snow, 40 mph winds, and single-digit cold to follow.

Full breakdown:

  • When it starts: Snow spreads in from Iowa after midnight tonight (Friday night into Saturday morning)

  • Worst window: 3 a.m.–noon Saturday — heaviest rates over 1" per hour for several hours

  • Snow type: Starts light & fluffy (major blowing/drifting) → turns heavy, wet, and sloppy Saturday afternoon

  • Expected totals: 8–14 inches widespread across Galesburg, Knox County, Peoria, Quad Cities, and most of Chicagoland

  • Winds: Gusts nearing 40 mph Saturday evening → high risk of downed trees, power lines, and widespread outages

  • Travel: NWS is strongly discouraging all travel — roads will be dangerous to impassable Saturday

  • After the storm: Canadian cold blast + fresh snow = single-digit lows Sunday night (6–18°) and Monday night (9–20°) with wind chills near 0°

  • Early next week: Another quick 1–2" possible late Monday–Tuesday; cold pattern continues into December

  • Rarity: Once-every-20-year event for central/southeast Illinois (last comparable storm: weekend after Thanksgiving 2019)

Mike Albano’s bottom line: “Confidence is about as high as it gets — this one’s a slam dunk.” Winter Storm Warnings are in effect.

What you should do TODAY (Friday):

[caption id="attachment_690015" align="aligncenter" width="800"]Graphic from the National Weather Service Lincoln, IL, issued November 28, 2025 at 6:51 AM. Five-day forecast showing increasing clouds today (33–37°), heavy snow Saturday (32–38°) with 100% precipitation, blustery and mostly cloudy Sunday (26–33°), colder Monday (20–30°) with a chance of afternoon snow, and mostly cloudy Tuesday (23–32°). Overnight lows drop from 21–26° tonight to single digits (6–18°) Sunday night and 9–20° Monday night. Title reads “Winter Storm This Weekend – Turning colder Sunday into Monday. NWS Lincoln 6:51 AM Friday update: Heavy snow arrives tonight into Saturday (100% chance north of I-70), followed by a blizzard-like day and a plunge into single-digit lows Sunday and Monday nights. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect – prepare now.[/caption]

 
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Major Late-November Blizzard: 8–14″ Snow & Power Outage Threat for Galesburg, Quad Cities & Chicagoland

Jay Redfern