Above Average Temperatures to Start the Work Week

A cool front is moved across the area early this evening, and will continue it's movement south and east tonight. Skies have become mostly clear, but high clouds will move in from the southwest after midnight. It will be cooler overnight with a low in the upper 30's. Low pressure on the front over Kansas will move to Missouri by daybreak, and across central Illinois by noon Monday. It could cause some sprinkles or light rain showers on Monday morning. It will be a little cooler than Sunday, but still mild with a high in the upper 50's with mostly sunny skies in the afternoon. It will be mostly clear overnight on Monday night with a low in the middle 30's. A very strong cold front will approach northern Illinois from the northwest on Tuesday. It will not have any appreciable moisture to work with so no rainfall is anticipated with the front. Temperatures are expected to reach the low 50's before the front arrives, and then fall off during the afternoon... plunging to near 27 degrees on Tuesday night, and struggling to reach near 40 degrees on Wednesday. Wednesday night will be the coldest night so far this fall season with a low around 23 degrees under clear skies. It will be mostly sunny on Thursday, but still chilly with an afternoon high near 40 degrees. By Friday the massive cold high pressure area will be to our east over Virginia, and the winds will shift to the southwest bringing warmer temperatures back across the Stateline. It will be mostly sunny with a brisk southwest wind on Friday pushing afternoon temperatures back up around 50 degrees. The warm up will continue through the weekend as a new cold front approaches from the northwest. The Gulf of Mexico is expected to open up so showers will be possible on Friday night, scattered across the area on Saturday, and even some thunderstorms are possible on Sunday. As of this time the front is expected to stall out just to our northwest on Saturday night, and hold there as a storm system develops over Colorado. That would allow temperatures to approach 60 degrees on Sunday. Longer range forecasts from the National Weather Service are indicating above normal to well above normal temperatures for much of Thanksgiving week. One must keep in mind that is pretty far out to have an accurate forecast this time of year considering an area of massive arctic high pressure will be building southeast across Canada by Sunday. Will it have the strength to push that front across the Stateline Thanksgiving week? It is too early to answer that question.