New Warning Criteria for Heavy Snow

The National Weather Service is implementing new heavy snow criteria. This is being done across the contiguous United States.

Changes are being done to eliminate non-meteorological discontinuities such as NWS office boundaries, adjust the length of time from a specific time frame to the overall event (not to exceed 48 hours), and to improve decision support services and communication.

An interactive mapping of the criteria is available at this link:
https://www.weather.gov/snow-criteria

Mapping of heavy snow criteria across central Illinois and nearby areas

For central Illinois, the following changes are being made:

Old heavy snow criteria for winter storm watches and warnings:
All of the Lincoln NWS coverage area	6 inches in 12 hours, or 8 inches in 24 hours
New heavy snow criteria for winter storm watches and warnings:
Fulton, Knox, Marshall, McLean, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties Includes Galesburg, Peoria, and Bloomington/Normal	6 inches for an event
Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Logan, Macon, Mason, Morgan, Moultrie, Piatt, Richland, Sangamon Scott, Schuyler, Shelby, and Vermilion Counties Includes Champaign/Urbana, Danville, Decatur, Effingham, Flora, Havana, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Mattoon, Newton Olney, Paris, Shelbyville, Springfield, and Taylorville	5 inches for an event

New Warning Criteria for Heavy Snow

Old heavy snow criteria for winter storm watches and warnings:

New heavy snow criteria for winter storm watches and warnings: