All eyes have been focused on what we can expect this upcoming weekend with the potential for accumulating snowfall coming into picture. Once we get through the rather blustery conditions Wednesday and Thursday our attention will shift to an area of low-pressure moving up from the southern Plains, impacting the Midwest and Great Lakes this weekend.
Ahead of the low conditions are expected to remain quiet, but cold. Temperatures on Friday will reach the low 30s with a little less wind than Wednesday and Thursday. That'll be some good news if you've got any traveling locally. But cloud cover will be on the increase as a little more moisture a 'warm air' gets tugged north which could lead to a few light snow showers Friday night.
The chance for snow appears to be increasing with our forecast models showing a little more consensus on the overall storm track, but still some differences with the finer details. Those won't be ironed out until later in the week, but the probability for at least some accumulating snow appears to be increasing.
Low-pressure will develop near the Oklahoma/Texas Panhandles early Saturday morning. A surface trough - think of this as an elongated area of low pressure - will extend northeast from the developing low into the Midwest. This is where we could initially get our snow to develop along Friday night and Saturday morning. The low will then move northeast during the day Saturday strengthening some as it crosses over northern Illinois Saturday night. By Sunday, the low will be over the Great Lakes. With the low taking this track, it would place much of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin within a zone of accumulating snow. How much snow falls, and when the heaviest would occur, all depends on the overall speed, strength, and final track but it looks like we could see the bulk of it occur late in the day Saturday and Saturday night. It's also possible that a little warmer air gets pulled in Saturday night which could cause a mix to develop to the south as temperatures warm close to freezing.
There is still time for the forecast to change, and it likely will some as we near the weekend. But the probability for at least some accumulating snow occurring appears to be increasing. Whether or not it is a light snow with minor accumulations/impacts or a decent snow event are yet to seen, but it's something to keep in the back of your mind as plans may have to be adjusted to accommodate any travel disruptions.
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