Hazardous Commute

Take it slow on the roads this morning, with many reporting very slick conditions. A Winter Weather Advisory is in place for southern Wisconsin until 10am because of freezing rain and sleet potential.

 However, northern Illinois will also notice freezing rain as well. Despite thermometer temperatures showing mid and upper 30's across the area its the ground or pavement temperatures we need to watch for. Untreated roads will be slick, along with parking lots, and sidewalks through mid-morning. Once we get closer to 9-10am temperatures will have warmed enough to get rid of the ice potential.

It will be a soggy afternoon with scattered showers continuing through the late afternoon, ahead of an incoming cold front. Behind the front, colder air is ushered in and once again we monitor the potential for a light winter mix on the back side of the system. Little to no accumulations with this, but will still cause some slick area roads this evening.

Traveling will be difficult through the afternoon, with rain continuing but also because of very windy conditions. A wind advisory will go into effect at noon today and lasts through 10pm as strong winds surge ahead of incoming cold front. Sustained southerly winds today at 15-25mph and gusts near 45 mph. However, a few localized gusts near 50mph are possible! With winds out of the south, east-west driving will be difficult today. Winds will then turn to the west in the evening behind the cold front. But they stay strong, gusting near 40mph.

Overall, take it slow throughout the day and use caution while on the roads through dinner time tonight. More wintry weather arrives this week, we'll talk more on that in a later post.