After a few days of sunshine, snow has returned to the Peoria area and will continue until about midday Monday, leaving some locals a little chilly.
“It’s getting to be a long winter,” said Phil Krajewski of Peoria as he walked his sheepdog Toby near Bradley Park on Sunday afternoon.
“My dog loves the snow – the colder, the better,” he said. “But I’m just the opposite of my sheepdog.”
The National Weather Service in Lincoln issued a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. Monday for Peoria County and counties west and north of the Illinois River.
Counties east of the river are under a snow advisory.
A mix of snow and rain began to fall about noon Sunday, turning to snow later on.
Meteorologist Brad Churchill said Peoria could see accumulations of up to 6 inches by midday Monday, with areas to the west of the city receiving between 7 to 8 inches. Areas east of Peoria and toward Bloomington will see only a few inches.
“I’m ready for the snow to be done,” said Sherry Thorn of Peoria as she trudged through the snow with her dog. “It seems like a lot more snow this year, somehow.”
This winter has been far snowier than last. Peoria has seen about 37 1/2 inches of snow since July 1, about 11.2 inches more than last year at the same time.
February 2010 has seen 12.3 inches of snow. That’s almost 9 inches more than last February and nearly three times as much as the normal February snowfall of about 4.2 inches, according to the Weather Service.
Snowfall in Peoria is creeping closer to the record set in 1978 for the snowiest winter, with 51.6 inches. That may be good news to sledders and bad news for others.
“I love the snow,” Ben Weaver of Dunlap said as he and his son sledded in Bradley Park. “But I’m in the auto business, and it puts a damper on things.”
Weaver said dusting snow off cars and having to move cars to plow the parking lot at his work is “getting old.”
“I’d rather take a beating,” he said. “I’ve been doing this winter crap for 25 years.”
But meteorologist Dan Kelly said there is a higher chance in the next two weeks of precipitation being below normal, which means snowfall may be light again.
The Weather Service was not aware of any weather-related accidents Sunday afternoon, but said snow-covered highways will mean hazardous travel conditions Sunday night into Monday. Police did not report any major accidents related to the weather.
Wind will pick up Monday afternoon, blowing snow and causing low visibility. Two flights were canceled at the Peoria International Airport on Sunday, with more cancellations or delays possibly coming Monday.
Lauren Rees can be reached at 686-3251 or [email protected].
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