Tumbling temperatures follow Thursday morning rainfall

 
The added sunshine Wednesday afternoon felt pretty nice which allowed temperatures to warm into the upper 30s area wide, but a brief dip in numbers below freezing Wednesday evening allowed a little bit of frost to form. And with some melting snow from earlier in the day there will be some icy spots especially on driveways, parking lots and sidewalks. But the frosty conditions won't last long as southerly winds increase late Wednesday night. This will help push overnight temperatures back above freezing and close to 40 degrees - if not low 40s - by Thursday morning.

But as the southerly wind increases it'll also pull in quite a bit of moisture and eventually that will lead to the development of rain Thursday morning. We may first start out with some drizzle or light showers after Midnight, and most likely closer to 2am/3am. But the rain will become steadier and heavier through mid to late morning. It's also possible that within some of the heavier rain showers that a few stronger wind gusts could be realized given the strong winds aloft. If that does end up happening, wind gusts approaching 50 mph wouldn't be out of the question.

The rain will last through at least Noon, if not early afternoon, with around a quarter of an inch falling. But where the heavier rain showers develop it's possible some totals could approach half an inch. A strong cold front will move in from west to east quickly bringing an end to the warmth from the morning as temperatures plummet by late afternoon and evening. Temperatures will quickly go from the 40s around Noon, down into the 30s, 20s, and then teens by evening. Right on the back edge of the rain there could also be a few snow showers mixing in, but minimal impacts are expected.

Through the afternoon there will be a brief lull in some of the precipitation, but winds will increase from the northwest, gusting around 40 mph. By late afternoon and evening, we'll begin to see a few more snow showers fill in from the west and northwest with the arrival of the main push of cold air. Gusty northwest winds will continue during that time and when combined with the snow could reduce visibility through Thursday evening. And with temperatures falling it is likely that whatever snow does come down will stick to surfaces making travel not only hazardous from the reduced visibility, but also from the potential slick and icy conditions. Most of the precipitation will be coming to an end by Thursday night but temperatures will be starting out Friday morning in the upper single digits and low teens with wind chills anywhere from -5 to -10 degrees.