It has been an active start to the winter, and we will see a continually active pattern into the middle of December with several "clipper" systems tracking across the region. So far, Rockford has seen 17.1" of snow this season, with 15.9" of that coming in just the last 9 days! Not only is that exactly the same amount of snow we saw ALL of last season, but it's also the snowiest start to the snow season on record!
The latest snow event dumped between 5-7 inches of snow across most of the Stateline. More chances for wintry precipitation will be possible this week with an active "clipper" pattern. The overall Northwesterly jet stream pattern aloft will funnel a train of weather systems our direction through the week, bringing several chances for wintry precipitation.
There are many different tracks winter systems can take to impact the Stateline, but here are some of the more common ones. First is the Alberta Clipper. This system tracks from the Northwest in Canada, which limits how much moisture it typically has, leading to generally lighter or less snowfall.
Another winter low pressure archetype originates from the Plains or over Colorado. This is the most favorable track for heavy snow locally, especially if the surface low tracks across Central/Northeastern Illinois. Higher moisture content can bring more widespread precipitation but can also bring rain to our region if the system tracks further West.
A third type of winter system is one that originates closer to the gulf coast. This one typically does not bring significant impacts this far North but can often lead to ice storms across parts of the Ohio River Valley.
Nearly all of our weather pattern ahead will be dominated by the clipper systems, with some tracking North and East of us, limiting coverage of precipitation. One such system will arrive Monday night, bringing a narrow swath of snow or light freezing drizzle to far Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. A dusting of snow may be possible if the system holds its track.
Another clipper-type system will arrive Tuesday into Wednesday. This will come with a bit of a stronger surge of warmer air, so we may see a mixture of rain with snow or freezing rain early on before switching things to all rain overnight Tuesday. Then cold air arrives on the back edge of this system, flipping precipitation back to snow by Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon could still feature some spotty snow showers with lots of wind.
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