All Forms of Weather in Forecast

There are a few big stories in the weather department for the next week or so. First, we are watching a storm system that will send a few waves of energy towards the region. The first of those waves arrives Wednesday night into Thursday in the form of some light mixed precipitation--rain, sleet, snow, and freezing rain. The precipitation is expected to be very light, so any wintry accumulations will be very light, if any at all. Therefore, travel delays and school delays do not look likely for Thursday. Temperatures on Thursday will warm into the middle 30's by the early afternoon, which will allow any precipitation that falls to fall as plain rain. Again, the precipitation on Thursday will be very light.

The second wave arrives Friday and that will be associated with a stronger low pressure system surging northeastward from Oklahoma and Arkansas. There will be more moisture available for that system to work with. Thus, more precipitation will fall. Everything will fall as rain on Friday with high temperatures in the upper 30's. By the time Saturday morning arrives, a good half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain appears like a good bet for the entire region. The rain will likely be steady, but mainly light. Occasional moderate rain is possible on Friday. That wave of energy will move out Saturday, but as colder air wraps in Saturday, the lingering light precipitation will fall as a rain shower-snow shower mix, or just as plain light snow showers. As with the first wave of precipitation, the wintry precipitation with the second wave will not really accumulate.

The next big story is the very cold air that will filter on into the region late in the weekend into next week. As a blocking high pressure system sets up over Greenland, much colder air will finally be allowed to plunge southward into the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northern Plains, something we haven't seen much of this winter thus far.

This will be arctic air, and the coldest air we have seen thus far this season. In fact, we are looking at a stretch of days beginning Sunday and lasting through the middle of next week with high temperatures likely remaining in the teens, if not slightly colder. Low temperatures will drop into the lower single digits to near zero, if not below zero for a few nights next week. The map to the right shows the coldest we will likely get next week. The heart of the arctic air looks to remain to our north and northwest, but temperatures could drop as low as -5°, especially in Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Green, and Rock Counties early next week.

A second influx of very cold air looks possible later in the January as well after a slight moderation occurs late next week.