Our Mild December Continues...

Temperatures will continue to be above normal for at least the next 7 days.  The frigid air in northern Canada is being blocked with modified Pacific air barreling across the US.  The storm center that dumped heavy snows over the panhandle of Oklahoma into western Kansas moved right across the Stateline late this morning.  Obviously, it has lost almost all of it former capabilities and characteristics.  It did cause some light rain showers to scatter across northern Illinois, and move toward the northeast.  The dense fog that blanketed northeastern Illinois earlier in the morning has lifted.  It will remain cloudy through the early afternoon, and there will continue to be a patchy light fog, and possible some drizzle.  Drier air will move into the area later this afternoon, the clouds will start to break up, and with some sunshine, the temperature will top out in the upper 30's to around 40 degrees.  Skies will be partly cloudy overnight, but there could be another round of patchy fog that will begin it's development before midnight, and persist through the night.  It will be colder than last night with a low near 27 degrees.  It should be noted the that is still well above average.  Our average low this time of year is 16 degrees.  A new cold front will push toward the southeast across the area between midnight and 6 am on Thursday.  It is not a strong front for this time of year, and our high temperature on Thursday will still manage to rise to around 37 degrees, when are average high is only 31 degrees.  Thursday will start of partly cloudy, but clouds will increase, and there could be a little post frontal light snow.  Very little snow is expected, and what falls should melt quickly on the roadways.  A little modified Canadian air will push in from the northeast across the Great Lakes on Thursday night dropping temperatures down into the low 20's. On Friday and Saturday high pressure will move across the Midwest allowing lots of sunshine along with high temperatures around 34 degrees.  Saturday will be mostly sunny with a high of 34 degrees, and on Christmas day it should be partly sunny and top out near 36 degrees.  On Monday it will be close to 40 degrees.  So far during the month of December the temperature has averaged 6.7 degrees above normal, and Rockford has had only on day when the temperature failed to reach 32 degrees.  There is a lot of Christmas shopping to be done yet, and most people have some travel plans during the next several days.  The roads should be in good shape for most of the time leading up to and past Christmas.