We'll Hit a Balmy 39 Degrees Friday, But That Presents Some New Concerns

After a week of 40-below wind chills, Glen Ellyn residents are ready to exit the deep freeze, and the National Weather Service seems to think we're headed for a major weekend warmup.

But with all that snow melting—and rain starting on Friday—where is all that water going to go?

The Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for north central Illinois. In addition to slick roads and patchy, dense fog Friday, "Rainfall amounts of 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch are possible Friday afternoon through Friday night. With the rain and warmer weather, there will be an increased potential for rises on area rivers and creeks, as well as ice jam related flooding."

The Weather Service also issued a "hydrologic outlook," which basically reiterates the increased flood potential.

"Light to moderate rain will occur Friday afternoon through early Saturday morning before a transition back to snow occurs by midday Saturday, with all of northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana appearing to be in a favored location for highest rainfall amounts."

Then, there's the "snowpack," which ranges in depth from 6 to 14 inches, and the frost depth of 3 to 9 inches. 

"A combination of snow melt, rainfall and frozen ground may result in rises of area streams with the potential for flooding," according to the outlook.