Steady temperatures Tuesday night ahead of big drop Wednesday

 

Foggy and grey skies Tuesday afternoon were no help in warming temperatures as most locations remained in the upper teens and low 20s. Rockford's high temperature made it up to 22 degrees, 17 degrees below normal. While the dense fog from the morning did lift shortly after sunrise skies were still hazy into the afternoon, and we even managed to see a few flurries from time to time. Fog likely won't be as much of a concern Tuesday night thanks to an increasing southwest wind that, at times, could gust as high as 25 mph through the overnight.

This combined with cloudy skies will help keep temperatures on the milder side, with most locations staying in the low 20s. In fact, we could even see temperatures rise through sunrise Wednesday. But with the breeze wind chills will remain in the mid and upper teens, so it'll still feel cold when you head out the door.

Southwest winds will help bring temperatures into the low 30s ahead of a cold front that'll move across the region mid-day Wednesday. Right along the front there will be a few flurries and light snow showers, but little to no additional accumulation is expected from that. Winds will then turn to the northwest behind the front with an Arctic air mass moving in by Wednesday evening, causing temperatures to quickly fall through Thursday morning.

Overnight lows will fall below zero for the first time this season, with wind chills as low as -15 degrees Thursday morning. Sunshine should return for the afternoon Thursday, but it won't do much to warm us up as highs are expected to stay in the low teens.