Champaign County upgraded to Winter Storm Warning for Saturday night and Sunday.

The National Weather Service office in Lincoln has upgraded Champaign County to a Winter Storm Warning effective at 9 PM Saturday night. Here is the text from their alert...

325 PM CST SAT JAN 31 2015 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 PM CST SUNDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 PM CST SUNDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* TIMING...RAIN WILL CHANGEOVER TO SNOW LATE SATURDAY EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING.

* ACCUMULATIONS...TOTALS OF 6 TO 7 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE... WITH THE HIGHER TOTALS NORTH OF I-74.

* WIND...GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF UP TO 35 MPH SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING COULD CAUSE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW.

* IMPACTS...AS TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR FREEZING TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY...LESS TRAVELED ROADS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME SNOW COVERED. HOWEVER...MOST ROADWAYS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND HAZARDOUS SUNDAY MORNING AS THE SNOW BECOMES HEAVIER. VISIBILITIES COULD BECOME POOR DUE TO THE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW...ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS AND OUT IN THE COUNTRY... BEGINNING SUNDAY AFTERNOON. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT... FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.