Who can believe it has been a year already since the polar vortex reigned down on the central United States. It wasn't until we woke up on this day last year that we felt the fullest extent of that extremely and dangerously cold air mass. In fact, the observer at the Rockford International Airport recorded a low temperature of -31°. This was the lowest temperature ever recorded in Rockford, shattering the old all-time record low of -27° set back on January 10th, 1982. Wind chills at the time of the observation were around -57°. This is cold enough that you can get frostbite within 5-10 minutes.
We not only saw Rockford's all-time record low fall, but also the all-time record low for the state of Illinois! The new record is now held here in the Stateline area. On that same morning, a temperature sensor in Mount Morris recorded a low temperature of -38°. It took a while for them to actually confirm this observation because they wanted to make sure the sensor was working properly at the time of the recording. When they couldn't find any issues with the sensor, it was confirmed. This beat the old record of -36° set back in Congerville on January 5, 1999. An even that I'd never thought to experience, especially with this being my first winter living in the Stateline!
It has been nearly a week and a half since we've seen the sunshine and
it looks like we'll have to wait at least a couple more days before the
sun makes an appearance. Moisture remains stuck near the surface under a
warm and dry layer just above the surface. Light winds throughout the
atmosphere don't allow the dry air to move down near the ground, keeping
skies cloudy throughout the day.
That may change just a little towards the latter part of the weekend as
our overall wind flow in the atmosphere switches more to West to East.
This will bring in a more mild air mass from the west, along with a much
more dry air mass Saturday night and Sunday. The hope for sunshine to
return Sunday is high, and well overdue, but the melting snow from the
warming winds may actually hinder just how much sun we see and how warm
temperatures will get Sunday afternoon.
The forecast for Sunday has a big 'bust' potential, meaning temperatures
may not warm as much as forecast models are suggesting. In the days
leading up to Sunday the sun will be lacking quite a bit. The energy
from the sun on Sunday may actually go more towards melting away the
snow, rather than warming up the atmosphere. The melting snow will add
more moisture to the atmosphere that could once again get 'trapped'
underneath the warm layer of air aloft. While the winds will be a bit
stronger on Sunday, to perhaps allow a little more mixing, it's possible
that clouds will develop limiting Sunday's full warm up potential.
This could keep temperatures in the 30s, rather than warming into the
mid and upper 40s. Right now the forecast for Sunday calls for a high
of 41 degrees. It is very well possible that highs could be a bit
warmer than that, but it's also possible that highs could be colder.
The sun has been absent for nearly a week now in northern Illinois, and
the next couple of days don't hold much promise for seeing the big
bright spot in the sky. Despite the lack of sun, temperatures have
actually been above average, both during the day and at night.
Cloud cover acts like a blanket in the sky, limiting the amount of
sunlight getting to the earth during the day but also limiting the
amount of heat that is released at night. This has kept the high and
low temperature the past week within a handful of degrees of each other,
or limiting the 'diurnal temperature range'. The 'diurnal temperature
range' is the difference between the high and low temperature. During
the day, the sun's light is reflected back out to space limiting how far
temperatures are able to warm, while holding whatever heat was built up
during the day in at night. Little change in the forecast is expected
Thursday, Friday and Saturday but a break in the cloud cover may arrive
Sunday with a more mild Pacific air mass.
For both the Rockford area and the entire Stateline, it's been tough to get days that feature either mostly sunny skies or partly sunny skies. In fact, the average cloud cover at the Rockford International Airport from January 1st to yesterday comes out to be 73%, with 19 of the 27 days featuring at least mostly cloudy skies. In other words, we have been lacking in the sunshine department a little bit. If you are sick of this pesky clouds, I am sorry to say we look to tackle on another cloudy day today.
A few patchy areas of freezing drizzle have developed around the
Stateline earlier this morning. As cloudy skies stick around throughout the day, freezing drizzle
and flurry chances could linger as well. Now, you may be looking at a source for radar and asking yourself "freezing drizzle? How come I don't see it? That is because the radar beam rises as it moves away from the radar location. The radar beam will pick up on a developing area of snow since snow forms higher up in the atmosphere. Drizzle however, forms closer towards the surface. In order for the radar beam to hone in on drizzle, it would have to be situated closer to the radar tower. That's one way freezing drizzle can become a nuisance. Now, because of freezing drizzle containing "super-cooled" water droplets, it can instantly freeze to a surface. Especially if that surface is cold enough. Freezing drizzle is certainly
possible through noontime today, with even a few flakes of
snow mixing in. This shouldn't impact much, but untreated roads and
surfaces could become slick if the freezing drizzle falls long enough.
Cloudy skies are expected to remain with us into the overnight hours tonight. A shift in our surface winds will bring a slightly cooler start to the day tomorrow as northeasterly winds help drop our temperatures into the low 20's by tomorrow morning. The cloud cover aims to stick around through our Wednesday. The system that is currently bringing moderate to heavy snow across portions of the Midwest and Southern Plains will track well south of the viewing area. When we say "well south", we mean track into the ArklaTex region (Arkansas, Louisiana, & Texas). Enough moisture streams northward to the point that we do leave a chance for spotty flurries throughout Wednesday. Little to no accumulations are expected with tomorrow's activity. The best chance for snow here in the Stateline would be with a clipper system Friday into Saturday.
The overall weather pattern for the last week of January is expected to
remain quiet and cloudy. There will be a few disturbances that move
through the Midwest and Great Lakes, with one moving through Wisconsin
and Illinois Monday night. Skies will remain cloudy through much of the
night with a little fog developing overhead. An area of low pressure
in the mid-levels will travel south through Wisconsin and Illinois after
Midnight. Moisture ahead of this low will be limited, but provide
enough lift in the atmosphere to produce a few flurries and even light
freezing drizzle through sunrise Tuesday morning.
No snow or ice accumulation is expected with the precipitation, but some
slick spots on untreated roads, parking lots and sidewalks are possible
early Tuesday morning. As temperatures warm into the low 30s during
the afternoon there is a chance for flurries to linger into the evening.
High pressure is expected to move in Tuesday night and Wednesday, but
with moisture still down near the surface skies are expected to remain
mostly cloudy through the end of the week.
The snowfall that we received late last week eliminated our snow deficit for the month. With a couple of days left in January, the Rockford International Airport has recorded 11.8" of snow. As we roll into the new work week, snow chances remain limited, but cloud cover will hold strong. Cloudy skies are kicking off the
first day of the work week with temperatures early Monday in the upper
20s. Even a few flurries were caught on our skytrack cameras this morning. The forecast for the rest on the shoulders of a weak area of high pressure, which will help keep our winds at the surface out of the northwest. Winds are going to be fairly
light today, so wind chills won't be much of an issue. Due to these light northwesterly winds, high temps will only soar into the low 30s. Cloudy skies feature prominently in the forecast for much of this
week, but most of our Monday remains dry. Overnight tonight would be our next chance to see light precipitation make it to the Stateline area. A mid-level
disturbance looks to bring a mix of freezing drizzle and even some very
light snow.
Light precipitation, like drizzle and flurries, very rarely show up
on radar. With that said, it doesn't take much freezing precipitation or even flurries to
create slick roads, especially if road temperatures are cold enough. The snow we saw late last week didn't have any problem sticking and covering the roads once the roads cooled down enough. When you have a precipitation like freezing drizzle falling, these super-cooled water droplets will instantly freeze to a cold surface. Such as sidewalks, parking lots, and most definitely on untreated roadways. Plan for a
slower commute for Tuesday morning to account for those potentially
slick roads. I would wake up a little bit early to give yourself extra time for your morning drive. Cloudy skies are expected to remain in the forecast through the
remainder of the week. In fact, it's been a very cloudy month to kick off 2020. 14 of the 26 days so far have been reported as cloudy at the Rockford International Airport. The next time we have a legitimate shot at wintry precipitation would on Friday as a
clipper system moves into the Midwest.
The month of January has been undoubtedly a warm month, with only a
handful of days falling below average. The warm trend continued Sunday
afternoon after highs reached 33 degrees, only three degrees above
average but still above. The warming trend will continue as we round
out the end of the month with highs remain in the low to mid 30s. It
won’t be extremely warm this week, but if you look at January as a whole
temperatures have averaged nearly 6.5 degrees above average.
The trend of warmer winter days has become more common in recent years. In a recent report from Climate Central,
the number of days temperatures are below average during the winter
months are becoming less and less, with Rockford averaging 3 fewer cold
days during winter cold outbreaks. The cold snaps are still occurring,
but they are not lasting as long as they were 20, 30 or even 40 years
ago. If we look back to 1970, there has been a slow, but steady,
decline in the amount of consecutive days where temperatures have been
below average. While it hasn’t been record breaking here in northern
Illinois and southern Wisconsin , record warmth was felt across the
northeast last week. Globally, 2019 was the second hottest year on
record and the 2010’s was the hottest decade on record globally.
Many may notice the heat more during the summer months when highs reach record warmth, but winter is actually the fastest warming season.
The warmer days may seem nice to some, but the impacts of those warm
days are being felt more and more, and having impacts across the globe.
The colder temperatures are important for limiting the pest population,
however many parts of the country have experienced an expansion of the
mosquito population in recent years due to warmer winters. Areas that
also rely on winter tourism are feeling the effect of the warmer winters
from lack of snow for ski resorts, to not enough ice for ice fishing.
The second round of accumulating snow arrives Thursday evening, lasting
through Friday morning. Most of the snow early Thursday evening has
been light, but should begin to pick up in intensity during the
overnight as low pressure moves into southern and central Illinois.
Copious amounts of moisture are streaming north ahead of low pressure
diving southeast from the central Plains. Temperatures in the low to
mid 30s across much of northern Illinois will allow some rain to mix in
with the snow, but mostly for areas east and southeast of Rockford.
An additional 1-2 inches of snow will be likely Friday morning with
light snow falling through mid-morning. Areas that see some rain will
have lower snow totals. After that, drier air gets wrapped in around
the low across central and northern Illinois. This will cause the
steady rain/snow mix to end for a little while during the afternoon
before picking back up Friday evening and overnight. It's that time
frame we may need to keep a close eye on for the potential for heavy
snowfall over parts of northern and northeast Illinois.
Low pressure will lift north into northeast Illinois and northwest
Indiana by Saturday morning. There is a little cooler air that gets
pulled south behind the low and this could allow for a quick transition
over to heavy snow Friday evening and night. If this were to happen the
snow would be heavy and wet, and would quickly accumulate on the roads,
possibly impacting the late evening commute. It's still yet to be seen
if enough warm air will remain Friday evening to keep the precipitation
as rain or allow for a changeover to snow. But if we do see the snow,
several inches could fall by Saturday morning.
The Stateline woke up to a little taste of winter on this Thursday morning as the first part of this event moved in. Light snow became more widespread overnight and continued into this morning leading to light accumulations. So far, most of the region has ended up in the 1" to 2" range with Freeport right now holding the top spot with 2". Here at the Chicago-Rockford International Airport, the last measurement came in at 1.1". Now, road temperatures were still very cold from the cold snap we experienced earlier in the week. So, it didn't take much for the light snow to stick to the roadways.
Travel conditions this morning quickly deteriorated as snow continued to accumulate leading to slick and snow-covered roads. The graphic to the left provides an updated look on how road conditions are as of 10:30 AM. A few counties at the moment including Walworth, Boone, McHenry, and Lee county still remain partially covered in snow. The rest of the viewing area is reporting roads being mostly covered. If you are one who is about to leave the household, be sure to give yourself more time to get to
your destination. Also, reduce your traveling speed while driving and allow plenty of distance between yourself and other
vehicles.
This morning, we saw activity become more scattered as the first of two rounds of snowy weather slowly comes to an end for the Stateline. Scattered snow showers are likely to continue to fly through the air
into the afternoon, but the majority of this is going to be light.
Temps this afternoon will climb above freezing, generally in the low to mid 30s, which is just slightly above average for the end of January. Temperatures this warm will likely lead to roads being wet this afternoon. Another round of more steady snow develops overnight Thursday into
Friday. Accumulations look to remain on the lighter side, but we could tackle on another inch or two by tomorrow morning. As we saw earlier today, it doesn't take much snowfall accumulation to make the roads slick and even snow-covered. This will is likely to lead to another slick morning commute for tomorrow.
Temperatures will once again jump into the mid 30s by Friday afternoon. This will lead to some rain occasionally mixing in, but overall
this second part looks to be a mostly snow system. Friday evening and into the overnight, steady and potentially heavier
bursts of snow looks to develop. Additional accumulations of 1" to 3" can be expected heading into Saturday morning. The one component of this forecast to watch for is how far south will the low's center be from the area, and how much "warm" air does this low pull up. Model Guidance does show the 32° ending up pretty close to the Stateline Friday afternoon into Friday night. That remains the uncertainty on how much we will actually end up heading into the weekend. If we experience more rain mixing in, this will lead to lower accumulations. Models for the moment show our viewing area under light to moderate snow bands into Saturday morning. Something we will have to continue to monitor through the next 24 to 36 hours!
A slow moving low pressure system will move through Plains and Midwest
through the end of the week bringing potentially several inches of snow
by Saturday morning. This isn't going to be a major snowstorm by any
means, but could cause some issues on the roads at certain times through
Friday night.
The first round of snow is already falling in Iowa, now moving into
northwest Illinois, but with a dry atmosphere overhead not much of that
locally is reaching the ground just yet. It won't be until between 7pm
and 9pm when we'll begin to see the snow reach the surface. Once the
snow begins it will remain light, but steady, through Thursday morning
adding up between half an inch to an inch and a half. Temperatures will
be very close to freezing and likely won't drop too much during the
overnight. This should allow most impacts to the roads to be confined
to untreated and less-traveled roadways during the morning commute. Low
pressure will spin closer to central Illinois Thursday afternoon
keeping the threat for light snow during the afternoon and evening.
Temperatures Thursday won't rise much above freezing, and will remain
below freezing aloft. This *should* keep most of the precipitation in
the form of snow through Thursday night. Although it is possible that
some rain or even sleet could be mixed in during the day on Thursday in a
few locations.
Low pressure then moves closer to northern Illinois Friday and will
provide a slightly better chance for warm air to lift this far north,
meaning a better chance for a rain/snow mix during the afternoon. The
track of the low, however, Friday night does need watching as it could
move in just the right way that leads to a few hour burst of heavy snow
Friday evening and night. If that were to occur, it is during that time
when the majority of the accumulating snow would occur. Between
Wednesday night and Friday night, several inches of snow is possible but
it will be spread out over a few day period, reducing the impacts some
across the Stateline. Temperatures won't cool too much for the weekend
and are then expected to rise near 40 degrees towards the middle of next
week.
Temperatures in the upper 20s and low 30s through the end of the week
mean the snow to liquid ratios will likely be low. This means the snow
that falls will have more moisture and will be a little more heavy at
times. An average snow to liquid ratio is 10:1, meaning 10 inches of
snow melted down would be the equivalent of one inch of liquid
precipitation. The higher the snow to liquid ratio, the drier and more
fluffy the snow is. The lower the snow to liquid ratio, the more heavy
and wet the snow will be. The snow
to liquid ratio with this storm
system will end up between 7:1 and 11:1 throughout the 3 day period.
The increasing cloud cover Tuesday night means a few changes are in the
forecast later this week. Sunshine from Monday and Tuesday will fade
away to mostly cloudy skies as high pressure slides to the east Tuesday
night. The start of Wednesday, and most of Wednesday afternoon and
evening, will remain dry. Winds will increase from the south, gusting
at times to 25 mph. This will bring temperatures into the low 30s, and
above freezing, during the afternoon.
Incoming low pressure from the Pacific Northwest will become 'cut-off'
from the main flow of the jet stream Wednesday night and Thursday. This
will cause the low to slowly sink south through Iowa and Missouri and
eventually into central Illinois Thursday afternoon and evening.
Temperatures should initially remain cold enough to support mostly snow
through Thursday night, but could warm just enough to get a little sleet
or even rain showers to mix in from time to time Thursday afternoon.
Friday looks to have the better chance for warm air to make it far
enough north into northern Illinois for a little rain, but I am watching
Friday evening and night for the possibility for a few bursts of
heavier snow on the backside of the low as it moves into Indiana and
Ohio.
Most of the snowfall Wednesday night and Thursday should remain light,
but it is Friday evening when the majority of the snow accumulations
could take place - following a chance for rain during the afternoon.
Temperatures at the surface will remain very close to freezing - 32
degrees - so the snow to liquid ratios will remain low, and possibly
lower than a 10:1 ratio - meaning a heavier snow. It's hard to say at
this point, and this early, how much snow will fall over the several day
event but at least a few inches is possible by the end of Friday night.
Last night featured clear skies and light winds at the surface, which allowed our temperatures to once again become bone-chilling. Many of us as we prepared for our day were stepping outside to temperatures in the single digits, and wind chills below zero. Today, just like yesterday, will feature plenty of sunshine, but slightly cooler than average temperatures. I would still make sure that you're layered up before you head out the door today. For those of you that dislike these cooler temps, some relief is on the way. This winter-like chill is going to slowly be replaced by
warmer temperatures for the second half of the week, but it comes with
rain and snow chances.
The same area of high pressure that brought the abundance of sunshine yesterday will be the focus of the forecast for today. The rest of our Tuesday will feature sunny and relatively cloud free skies as sinking air continues aloft. Temperatures this afternoon will climb into the mid to upper 20s, which is just slightly below
average for the second half of January. By the end of the day high cirrus clouds slowly begin
to move into the region. I strongly suggest that you take advantage of the sunshine today, because changes are coming as we transition into the second half of the work week.
Low temperatures will be achieved early on tonight as clouds continue to increase and surface winds stay out of the south-southwest. We'll see a slight improvement in the wind chills, but still could see single-digit chills by tomorrow morning. Depending on how much clouds increase overnight, we could squeeze in a few peeks of sun before skies turn fully overcast. Despite the cloud cover, dry conditions are going to persist through much of the daylight hours tomorrow. Snow chances hold off until late in the day, most likely beginning around the evening commute. Accumulations look to remain on the lighter side. But since road temperatures are going to be cold enough, snow will be able to stick to the roadways potentially making conditions slick by the time Thursday's morning commute arrives.
Ice on local rivers has developed this week in response to the recent
cold snap. Favorable conditions for river ice, and possibly ice jams,
will continue through the end of the week until temperatures gradually
warm above freezing. Ice jams can develop near river bends, downstream
of dams and upstream of bridges, mouths of tributaries or points where
the river slope decreases. An ice jam will cause flooding upstream of
where the ice jam has occurred, but a quick break up of the ice may lead
to flooding downstream of where the ice jam was located.
Flooding from ice jams can occur with little to no warming, so it's
important for those who live along the river to pay close attention to
its level. For the latest on river levels across northern Illinois and
southern Wisconsin, click here.
Believe it or not, the last time we had a high temperature in the teens was November 12! Today's temperature was a shocker in large part because it has been so warm - this month we are running on average almost 8 degrees above normal, unusual for sure.
This graphic highlights the source region for our cold air - it is coming all the way from the polar region riding on Northwest winds. Those winds will continue through the day on Monday as a high pressure system moves into region - we may not make it to 20 degrees!
On Tuesday that high pressure will move to the south and east and winds will start to shift to the West and then Southwest - opening the door for warmer air to replace the cold. It will still be cool on Tuesday though with highs in the low 20's. A large storm system will also start to move towards us from the Southwest, bringing a combination of snow, ice and rain from late Wednesday thru late Friday.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for all of northern Illinois
and southern Wisconsin beginning Friday afternoon and lasting through
Saturday evening. Another winter storm will move across the Plains and
Midwest Friday and Saturday, bringing accumulating snow, sleet and
freezing rain to much of the Midwest and Great Lakes. Friday morning
will be cloudy, but dry. As moisture increases during the day light
snow will develop west and southwest of Rockford during the early
afternoon, spreading east through sunset. By 6pm or 7pm most of the
Stateline should be seeing snow, some of which could be moderate to
heavy at times. This will reduce visibility through the evening as
winds pick up from the southeast.
Temperatures remain below freezing through Midnight, or a little after,
warming above freezing by sunrise Saturday. As the warmer air arrives a
transition to sleet and possibly freezing rain will take place from
south to north, but just how far north is still the big question. Right
now it looks like the highest chance for sleet to mix in will be south
of Highway 72, where sleet could accumulate - along with the snow - to a
couple inches. Freezing rain is possible, but that threat looks to
remain low. Although, there could be some freezing drizzle Saturday
morning.
Snow and sleet accumulations area wide will likely range from 2-5
inches, with most of the accumulations taking place before Midnight.
Winds will be increasing from the southeast through the evening, so
blowing and drifting snow will be possible once it is on the ground, and
as it is falling, reducing visibility.
It may look quiet when you first take a peek out the window this morning, but it is VERY cold. Not as cold as what we're going to see once next week comes around. But it's been quite some time. In fact, we haven't seen low temperatures in the single digits since December 18th. Temperatures early this morning had
fallen into the single digits in most areas and those chilly wind chills are making it feel much worse. Galena out in Jo-Daviess county fell to -1° at one point this morning with a wind chill of -22°. Yikes. Northwesterly winds have gusted close to 30 miles per
hour, making for subzero wind chills. The blustery winds are going to
continue through about noon before gradually tapering off.
An potent area of high pressure that has settled over the upper Midwest will keep our weather tranquil for the day, so be sure to grab
the sunglasses. The sun has been teasing us the past few days. So, it's finally great to see a good amount of sunshine here in the Stateline. With that said, you will also need grab a heavy coat, gloves, hats, and whatever you wear to keep you warm. Highs today will struggle to make it out of the teens, and wind chills stay in the single digits. This area of high pressure will track north of the region tonight keeping conditions dry into our Friday morning with partly cloudy skies. However, winds at the surface switch to the southeast overnight. This
is going to help pull in moisture ahead of snow Friday afternoon, but it's
also going to pull in slightly warmer temperatures. Highs to end the
work week manage to climb into the upper 20s to low 30s.
Our potential winter storm is now coming ashore in the Pacific Northwest. Ahead of this system, a great majority of the central U.S is under some sort of winter alert already. For those that are going to see wintry conditions earlier than us, a winter weather advisory has been posted. Places farther to the north, including Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll
and Whiteside counties here in northern Illinois (for right now), have been placed under a winter storm watch. This is all ahead of a winter storm that will impact
northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with all types of wintry precipitation including snow, sleet, freezing rain
and rain Friday into Saturday. The watch goes into effect Friday afternoon, lasting through Saturday evening. I'm sure as we roll into tonight and tomorrow morning, more winter alerts will posted for the Stateline.
Friday kicks off with dry conditions. In fact, we may encounter a bit of
sunshine before cloud cover increases by late morning. Snow looks to develop by the early-to-middle afternoon,
potentially becoming heavy by the evening commute. If you are one who has to travel home Friday evening, please make sure to plan ahead. Model guidance is in very good agreement that a wintry mix develops overnight Friday into Saturday morning as warmer air is pulled into the region with the incoming surface low. Where exactly
that line sets up is crucial to not only snow totals, but also impacts.
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll
and Whiteside counties ahead of a winter storm that will impact
northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with snow, sleet, freezing rain
and rain Friday into Saturday. The watch goes into effect Friday
morning, lasting through Saturday afternoon.
Models are coming into a little better agreement with the overall track,
but there is still plenty of room for that track to shift. Right now,
it looks
like low pressure will develop east of the Rockies Friday,
moving through the Plains during the afternoon and into Iowa by Friday
evening. By Saturday morning the low is forecast to be over northwest
Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Moisture will increase during the day
Friday, but there will be a very dry air mass down near the surface.
This should keep the first half of the day Friday dry. As moisture
increases, light snow will then develop by the evening (perhaps late
afternoon west and
southwest of Rockford) continuing into the early
overnight. Temperatures Friday will be in the 20s but are expected to
rise near freezing as warm air is pulled into the Stateline after
Midnight, and then above freezing by Saturday morning. This brings the
likely potential for a mixture of sleet and freezing rain Friday night,
with possibly just rain by Saturday morning.
Right now it looks like the heaviest snow will fall from Minnesota to
Wisconsin, with at least a few inches accumulating over northern
Illinois. Friday into Saturday definitely has the potential to be
messy with impacts into Saturday morning. After that, it gets cold and
fast. Temperatures will fall quickly by Saturday night with highs only
in the teens Sunday through next Tuesday.
Dry air will move in behind a passing cold front Wednesday evening,
eroding away some of the dense fog from Wednesday afternoon. The cold
front is a powerful front, with temperatures falling quickly across the
Upper Midwest and northern Plains. Skies will remain mostly cloudy
through much of the evening, turning partly cloudy by Thursday morning.
Northwest winds will increase following the front, gusting 25-30mph at
times through Thursday afternoon.
Temperatures currently in the low 30s, as of 6pm Wednesday, will drop
back into the 20s through 7pm and 8pm. Overnight as skies clear
temperatures will fall even further down into the teens by sunrise
Thursday, but wind chills fall below zero. High pressure will leave our
skies mostly clear Thursday, but it will be cold. Temperatures will
settle in the low 20s during the afternoon.
Once we get through Wednesday's freezing drizzle potential all eyes will
turn to the end of the week as another winter storm takes aim on the
Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes. Low pressure will develop over the
Rockies Friday morning, moving east across the middle of the country and
into the Midwest by Friday evening.
Strong high pressure over the eastern Great Lakes will feed dry air into
northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin during the day Friday, likely
keeping the first half of Friday dry. Temperatures will still be below
freezing during the afternoon as moisture increases from the south.
This will allow a period of snow to develop west of Mississippi River,
spreading east into northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin through
sunset. The track of the low will ultimately determine where the
heaviest snow occurs Friday, but there is the chance for accumulating
snow heading into Friday night.
The chance, then, for temperatures to continue to warm Friday night into
Saturday brings the question on whether or not we will see any sleet,
freezing rain or just rain Friday night into Saturday. Right now it
looks like temperatures will warm above freezing Friday night into
Saturday morning, switching any wintry weather over to more rain
showers. Colder air then quickly wraps in behind the low Saturday
causing temperatures to quickly drop Saturday night, with highs only in
the teens on Sunday.
