Snow turns to rain-snow mix Wednesday as Fox River flood risk continues

A winter weather advisory expired at noon Wednesday, but not before dumping more snow on McHenry County, which was expected to get 1 to 2 inches of accumulation.

At the same time, a flood warning was extended for the Fox River from Johnsburg south, with the river expected to rise above flood stage Thursday morning.

Rain and light snow could continue throughout the day into the night, but not much more accumulation is expected, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Baker said. Wednesday morning’s snowfall should equally affect all parts of McHenry County, he said.

“[We] might have a little more lingering into the early afternoon as we get more of a rain-snow mix,” Baker said.

Winds were expected to stay blustery, with gusts reaching 30 mph and continuing north, with northwest winds of 15 to 20 mph, Baker said.

The National Weather Service did not receive any snowfall reports for the McHenry County area, but 1.5 inches on grassy areas was reported Wednesday morning in St. Charles, National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Ratzer said.

“A lot of it melted as it fell here,” he said.

There could be “off-and-on” showers of a rain-snow mix overnight into Thursday, Ratzer said. There is a 60% of chance of rain showers in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service expects the area to get a break from rain and snow Friday and Saturday, with a chance of showers returning Sunday.

This is the second snowstorm this spring, but this type of weather is not uncommon during early April, Baker said.

“Once we move into the second half of April, the chances of these little snow clippers does diminish,” he said.

The National Weather Service issued the advisory effective 4 p.m. Tuesday through noon Wednesday for Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Ogle, Lee and DeKalb counties, including the cities of Rockford, Belvidere, Crystal Lake, Algonquin, McHenry, Woodstock, Rochelle, Oregon, Byron, Dixon, DeKalb and Sycamore.

A flood warning for the Fox River was reissued and updated Wednesday, with the National Weather Service expecting the river at the Algonquin Tailwater would rise to 10.9 feet, with a crest April 9. The river was at 9.3 feet Wednesday, with the flood stage at 9.5 feet.

An 11-feet crest would threaten flooding along Filip Street and Fox River Drive in Algonquin, the weather service said.