Say it ain't snow? Next snow chance arrives after seasonal switch

A wind shift to the northwest left temperatures on St. Patrick's Day in the upper 30s. 

Relative to average, this landed 7° below our average high for March 17th, marking Rockford's first below average day since February 24th. 

Chilly northwest flow is expected to dominate a good chunk of the new work week, leaving temperatures below average for the most part.

The only day of warmth comes Tuesday, which coincides with the spring equinox. A brief period of southwesterly flow will push highs into the low 50s under partly cloudy skies. 

A cold front then looks to come through during the late-morning and early afternoon time frame, quickly shifting winds back to the northwest. 

This will leave highs in the upper 30s and low 40s for the remainder of the work week. 

Now, Rockford's last measurable snowfall came on February 23rd where the airport picked up 1.0". Why do I bring that up? Unfortunately, this week's chilly trend will set the stage for the Stateline to see it's next chance for measurable snow. 

This comes in the form of a clipper system which is shown sliding into the western Great Lakes Thursday evening into Friday morning. Right now, it looks like the highest chance for accumulations will be along and north of I-88, up into S. Wisconsin. But that will be something to monitor as we inch closer to the event itself.