Another week, another forecast of snow for Peoria. But this one might be different

Another Wednesday and Thursday in February must mean another snowstorm is expected in the Peoria area.

But the storm predicted this week isn't expected to be as severe as the ones that struck in two of the previous three weeks this month.

Following temperatures in the high 50s Tuesday, a plunge into the 20s and teens is to herald light snow expected to begin Wednesday night.

A break in snow is possible Thursday morning, but more is expected in the afternoon, according to Alex Erwin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Lincoln.

The storm is expected to dissipate sometime Thursday night. But then, a flood warning for the Illinois River at Peoria and at Havana is to begin and be in effect indefinitely.

At Peoria, the river is expected to crest Sunday morning at 19.2 feet. Flood stage is 18 feet. At 8 a.m. Wednesday, the river level was 16.7 feet.

Peoria crime:When Peoria police go out on calls, mental-health workers may join them. How will it work?

Erwin said the Peoria area has a decent chance of receiving at least 2 inches of snow overall from this storm. But he isn't expecting repeats of last week's storm, which began on a Thursday. Nor the one in early February, which was at its heaviest on a Wednesday.

"Not anything in the ballpark of what we had with the earlier systems," Erwin said Tuesday.

Travel around Peoria might be affected Thursday

The storm Feb. 1-2 dumped 10.6 inches of snow at the Peoria international airport. Last week, an official total of 6.6 inches was reported, although some outlying areas received up to 1 foot.

According to Erwin, brief periods of freezing rain and sleet are possible Thursday, but snow is to be the primary precipitation. A better chance of ice is likely south of Interstate 72 in the Decatur and Springfield areas.

Gun violence:Peoria police are seizing hundreds of guns per year. Here's their explanation

Travel conditions around Peoria might be slippery in some spots, but wind gusts are forecast to be below 20 mph, according to Erwin. That should render highways in decent shape.

"Overall, not quite as hazardous as the previous storms, where travel was borderline impossible," Erwin said.

One of the snowiest Februarys on record

As of Tuesday, the official snowfall this month in Peoria was 18.1 inches. That places it as the fifth-snowiest February in recorded weather history in the city.

It won't take much to push February 2022 into fourth place. A total of 18.3 inches of snow fell in February 2010 in Peoria, according to the weather service.

The snowiest February ever recorded in Peoria came in 1900, when 26½ inches was measured. In 2014, the February snow total was 22.9 inches. In third place is the 20.9 inches that fell in 2011.

Peoria business:A long-vacant Peoria department store will soon have a new, high-tech use. Here's the plan

Without taking a deeper look from a research perspective, it's difficult to say why four of the five snowiest Februarys have happened in the past 12 years, Erwin said. It's also difficult to tell if that trend might continue.

The trend following recent snowstorms has been a sharp uptick in temperature. But Erwin said that probably won't happen this time. Expect highs this weekend in the mid-30s and lows in the teens or low 20s.

As for next week, the beginning of March, temperatures and precipitation are to be typical, according to Erwin. That would mean about one-half inch of precipitation and temps that range from the mid-40s to the mid-20s.

March signals the beginning of meteorological spring. Officially, spring begins in Peoria at 10:33 a.m. March 20.