SNOW DAY!!!!!!

It's official:

December 1, 2006

• Due to the winter weather, NIU is closed today. Classes are canceled.

Herewith the weather report.

We were just slightly shy of a blizzard warning, according to the National Weather Service, but no matter...for all intents and purposes, we are there. As of 9:45 AM, we have 12" down in DeKalb, and maybe one more to go, before we calm down by around 10:30 AM. Will keep this short and sweet, but here's how things will play out:

Now through noon: snow tapers off and ends. Northwest winds at 25-35 MPH may touch 40 MPH at times.

Noon-6 PM...northwest winds at 25-35 MPH with occasional higher gusts will continue with near blizzard conditions in rural and open areas, and very difficult travel everywhere else. Wind chills in the lower teens.

6 PM Friday-5 AM Saturday: northwest winds gusting above 25 MPH tonight will still cause blowing and drifting snow. Wind chills will drop to nearly -10 by 5 AM.

Saturday...with northwest winds at 10-20 MPH and probably diminishing to 10-15 MPH, you'll finally be able to more or less get around OK. Just be careful on lesser traveled roads. Temperatures reaching the middle 20s, but wind chills in the teens.

At nine this morning, here's the view from the kitchen window.


That squirrel must have considered his trip necessary. I'm hearing plows and other heavy machinery nearby; perhaps all will be dug out by dark.