Dense Fog Advisory Though Mid Morning Monday

A vertically stacked tight little disturbance disturbance is moving off to the east this evening.  It produced light amounts of rain across the Stateline this morning through noontime. The rainfall total at the Rockford Airport was 0.21".  Skies have remained mostly cloudy after the departure of the rain. Circulation is relatively weak across the area, and with weak high pressure following in behind the low, skies have attempted to clear, but fog is forming and thickening.  Visibilties are anticipated to drop below 1/4 mile across north central Illinois and all of southern Wisconsin overnight, so a DENSE FOG ADVISORY has been issued through the mid morning hours on Monday.  Caution is advised if you are driving later tonight and early Monday.  Be sure to not overdrive your headlights, and use your the low beams.   The rest of Monday will remain mostly cloudy, although with the strengthening March sun, there may be some sunshine through the clouds in the afternoon.  

Temperatures this week are expected to average a little above normal, with good chance that we will reach 50 degrees on Wednesday or Thursday for the first time since December 1, 2009 when we touched 56 degrees.

The next system to have an impact on the Stateline is moving through Arizona this evening. It will cross the southern Rockies tonight, and move into the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle on Monday, and begin an intensification process that will bring rain into northern Illinois on Tuesday afternoon.  The low itself will move to Iowa, and stall out as it drags a warm front, and Gulf of Mexico moisture northward across the Stateline into southern Wisconsin.  There could be some moderate rainfall Tuesday night into early Wednesday before the low weakens and the rains move off to the northeast.  The models are indicating that there will be a secondary low pressure system that will then develop over Arkansas or southern Missouri, and that will also move toward the northeast into central Illinois dragging more Gulf moisture northward, and produce another couple of bands of moderate rainfall  to move into the Stateline on Thursday into Thursday night with some lingerning showers possibly lasting through Friday into Friday evening.  It is way to early to make an accurate estimate about how much rain our area will receive from the weather systems this week, but it does appear likely that we will get at least 1" of rain from both systems.  It is possible that it could be heavier than that, and if rainfall totals exceed 2",  there will probably be some flooding on the Rock River, and it's tributaries before the end of the week.  We will keep you posted as these systems develop this week.

By Meteorologist
Eric Nefstead
Candice will update for you on Monday morning.