Chance of Freezing Drizzle & Light Snow Today

A weak disturbance may cause a little light snow and freezing drizzle through the early afternoon.  The surface map shows a weak low over southern Indiana with a trough of low pressure stretching northwest from the low across northern Illinois into southeastern Minnesota.  Circulation around the low will cause winds to be northeast around 10 mph today.  The skies will be cloudy today with a high in the low 30's.  It will remain mostly cloudy overnight, and the low will be in the low 20's.  A massive ridge of arctic high pressure extends southward out of Canada through the Dakotas, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, across Oklahoma into central Texas.  The extremely cold weather associated with the ridge remains limited to Montana, the Dakotas, into northwestern Minnesota where temperatures were -5 to -10 early this morning.  The good thing is that there does not seem to be any indication that the severe cold will move into northern Illinois.  Temperatures this week will be pretty close to seasonal averages.  It will continue to be mostly cloudy on Christmas Day with a high around 26 degrees.  The wind will pick up from the north at 10-15 mph.  The southern jet stream will activate, and start to spin up a storm system over east central Texas early Christmas morning.  The low will intensify as it moves to western Mississippi by 6 pm on Christmas Day, and it will be very intense by the time it moves to north central Tennessee by 6 am Wednesday.  Winter Storm Watches have been issued from Oklahoma eastward across northern Arkansas, southern Missouri, southeastern Illinois, across Indiana into western Ohio, and south central lower Michigan.  Heavy snow could occur anywhere in those areas.  Because of the intensity of the low, and the tight pressure gradient between the low and the arctic ridge over Minnesota, strong northerly winds will buffet the Stateline on Wednesday.  It will be cloudy, but no snow is expected across northern Illinois on Wednesday.  The storm will continue to speed off to the northeast on Thursday spreading strong winds, and heavy snow across northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania, and most of New York State into parts of New England.  It will remain mostly cloudy on Thursday in northern Illinois with a high in the middle 20's.  The wind will die down as the ridge moves over the area.  On Friday low pressure will develop again over Texas.  An inverted trough of low pressure will extend northeast  of the low into Iowa early Friday morning.  It will become cloudy as the trough approaches, and there is a chance of some light snow with a high in the low 30's.  The trough will move across the  area on Friday night with a good chance of some snow.  Clouds will persist on Saturday with a continuing chance of light snow.  The high will be in the upper 20's.  High pressure will take control in Sunday.  It will be partly cloudy and cold with a high around 24 degrees.