Winter Storm Arrives in Southern McLean County The first major winter storm of the season swept into Central Illinois late Friday night, bringing with it a mix of heavy snow, gusty winds, and treacherous travel conditions. In southern McLean County, residents woke Saturday morning to a landscape transformed—roads coated in fresh snow, trees glazed in white, and the hum of plows echoing across rural highways. The National Weather Service in Lincoln issued a Winter Storm Warning for the region, forecasting accumulations of more than 5 inches of snow through Saturday night. While heavier totals were expected west of the Illinois River, McLean County still found itself on the eastern edge of the storm’s impact zone, with snowfall intensifying through the morning hours. On Interstate 55 near Funks Grove, traffic thinned to a trickle as drivers heeded warnings to delay travel. Sparse vehicles crept cautiously along the slick pavement, headlights cutting through the swirling snow....