Active Pattern Starts with a Warm & Windy Thursday

The stretch of dry weather that we have been subjected to the last few day has unfortunately come to an end this morning. A majority of our morning remained dry under mostly cloudy skies. As we headed into the mid-morning hours, our radar picked up on a cluster of rain showers/wintry mix that moved into the region from the southwest. The precipitation with these showers are going to remain light, and shouldn't slow you down while out on the roads.

As moisture continues to stream northward, scattered showers are still possible during the morning hours, but the best chance for rain remains to be in the evening. Much of the Thursday will feature dry and cloudy conditions. Temperatures will really start to warm up after a warm front lifts through the region, helping us climb into the upper 40s for highs. The biggest concern today weather-wise will be the gusty winds. As the pressure around an incoming low pressure system becomes tighter, southeasterly to southerly winds are going to pick up in intensity this morning. We will feel the strongest winds during the early afternoon hours. Sustained winds could be close to 15 or 20 miles per hour, while gusts could approach 30 to 40 miles per hour. These strong winds are expected to continue through the evening commute. If you are one who will driving during the day, or heading home from work, driving may be difficult for some. Especially for those who have to travel along west-to-east roads. Be sure to keep a firm grip on that steering wheel.

Winds are expected to decline as we approach the later evening. The same system that is going to bring a warm front in today, will bring a cold front in from the northwest as we head into tonight. Behind the cold frontal passage, temperatures are going to slowly drop into Friday morning. Much of tomorrow looks to remain dry, but as the day progresses, precipitation chances increase. Light rain will become more widespread late Friday evening. As colder air filters in at the surface, the threat for a wintry mix increases. That means we could see sleet, freezing rain, and snow mix in, and it could be intense at times going into tomorrow night. This will definitely make road conditions a bit slick, icky, and icy. It definitely would be wise to stay home, and avoid being on the roads. If you have to be out and about Friday night, take it real slow.

The threat then switches to snow as we head into Saturday. As the system bringing the wintry mess winds up, the upper-level low is forecast to pivot over Illinois. Current models snow moderate to heavy snow coming in on the backside of the surface low as it pivots into the Ohio Valley. Accumulating snow is highly likely starting Saturday evening and stretching into early Sunday morning. Even though we're two days out, it's still too early for snowfall and ice totals. Those details should become much clearer as we roll into tonight and tomorrow morning.