Heavy rain could turn to snow in parts of northern Illinois on Thursday

Widespread rain heading into Thursday could turn to snow in parts of northern Illinois, according to the National Weather Service.

A few northwestern counties – including Lee, Carroll, Whiteside and Bureau – were under a hazardous weather outlook that warned of rain, mixed at times with sleet and snow, through Wednesday evening and overnight.

Most of the snow or sleet on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday is expected west of Iowa City and Dubuque, according to the outlook. Rainfall across the region could reach over an inch by sunrise Thursday.

East of those counties – including McHenry, Lake, Ogle, DeKalb, Kane, DuPage, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Cook and Will – were forecasted to see widespread rain move over the area Wednesday night with thunderstorms possible.

The rain could be heavy at times, causing minor ponding on roadways that could linger into the Thursday morning commute, the National Weather Service said in the hazardous weather outlook for the region. Ponding can occur when water pools on roadways or flat surfaces, potentially impeding traffic.

Strong winds – with gusts climbing above 45 mph in parts – are possible on Thursday and rain may change to snow in parts of northern Illinois, the National Weather Service said.

It’s possible the snow falls heavy for a few hours starting Thursday morning, resulting in accumulation and some minor travel impacts, mainly northwest of a Dixon-to-Belvidere line, according to the outlook.