What Happened Today?

Weather likes to do what is has been doing, a persistence is a pretty good rule to go by when things do not seem to budge.  The low level inversion was around for the last several days trapping surface moisture, and causing a low deck of stubborn stratus clouds.  There was just enough cooling at night with temperatures in the 20's to reach the dew point, and dense fog formed with light winds easing across the area resulting in hoar frost, or as the weather service now calls freezing fog.  Today, a little bubble of high pressure moved to near Lone Rock Wisconsin.  There was enough subsidence and a pool of lower dew point air with the high to scour out the inversion allowing the January sun to finally display itself, and all it's brillance.  Don't get too excited about the sunshine.  It will not be repeated on Wednesday.  There is a surface low over Oklahoma moving toward the east/northeast, and it will be over southern Missouri by 6 am on Wednesday.  Moisture will be thrown northward over a stationary from stretching eastward across southern Missouri, and up the Ohio River Valley.  It will be warm enough aloft for precipitation to be liquid, and that will fall into the cold air over northern Illinois and freeze when it touches the surface.  So, a FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY has been issued by the National Weather Service out of the Quad Cities for Stephenson County beginning at 6 am on Wednesday extending until 6 am on Thursday.  Our region can expect freezing rain to develop over  parts of Whiteside County by 6 am and spread to the northeast reaching the Greater Rockford area by the noon hour on Wednesday.  Be aware that freezing rain situations are among the most dangerous of all winter weather when driving a vehicle.  Roads could become treacherous on Wednesday afternoon across the north central part of Illinois.  Candice will have more infomation on this system on Wednesday morning... Eric