The coldest air of this short-lived "cold snap" settled across the Stateline this morning. Most, if not all of us woke up to single digits temps, with wind chills below 0°. A start like this might would make
it hard to believe that this weekend will feature more"spring-like" temperatures. And we are talking close to 50°. So far, the response I get to the fast changing conditions is "welcome to the Midwest". Before we dive into that, we first need to get through this last stint of cold weather for the week.
A strong area of high pressure will be in command for the forecast the rest of the work week. Associated with high pressure systems is a vast amount of dry, meaning sunshine. We'll get to see plenty of it today. But despite wall-to-wall sunshine through the afternoon, Thursday is going
to end up being the coldest day of the week. Highs will struggle to climb into the low 20s this afternoon. I wouldn't even be surprised to see a few areas only manage to reach the upper teens. Compare that to our average high for February 20th of 36°, we'll be well below average. Northwesterly winds are going to
occasionally make for a wind chill in the single digits or below zero.
The same high pressure system will shift to the southwest of the area tonight, shifting our winds at the surface to the southwest. This will push out this nuisance of an air mass and help trend us in a warmer direction for the end of the work week, and into the weekend. Temperatures to begin the day will start out in the single-digits. Even with the bitterly cold start, I am happy to say that we'll add nearly 10 to 15° to the thermometer from temperatures this afternoon to temperatures
Friday afternoon. Highs tomorrow will end up in the mid 30s. Wind gusts through the day on Friday could approach 25 to 30 mph, with
sustained winds generally between 15 and 20 mph. These gusty
winds should subside overnight Friday into Saturday, meaning wind chills
aren't likely to be a factor. Ready for some better news? I realize that grilling weather can be any point in the year in the Midwest. But the fact that we'll see temperatures climb into the low 40s by Saturday, and close to 50° on Sunday really urges me to buy a few steaks and go grilling. We'll see plenty of sunshine for the first half
of the weekend, but a few more clouds are likely to round out the
weekend.
The coldest air of this short-lived "cold snap" settled across the Stateline this morning. Most, if not all of us woke up to single digits temps, with wind chills below 0°. A start like this might would make
it hard to believe that this weekend will feature more"spring-like" temperatures. And we are talking close to 50°. So far, the response I get to the fast changing conditions is "welcome to the Midwest". Before we dive into that, we first need to get through this last stint of cold weather for the week. 
The same high pressure system will shift to the southwest of the area tonight, shifting our winds at the surface to the southwest. This will push out this nuisance of an air mass and help trend us in a warmer direction for the end of the work week, and into the weekend. Temperatures to begin the day will start out in the single-digits. Even with the bitterly cold start, I am happy to say that we'll add nearly 10 to 15° to the thermometer from temperatures this afternoon to temperatures
Friday afternoon. Highs tomorrow will end up in the mid 30s. Wind gusts through the day on Friday could approach 25 to 30 mph, with
sustained winds generally between 15 and 20 mph. These gusty
winds should subside overnight Friday into Saturday, meaning wind chills
aren't likely to be a factor. Ready for some better news? I realize that grilling weather can be any point in the year in the Midwest. But the fact that we'll see temperatures climb into the low 40s by Saturday, and close to 50° on Sunday really urges me to buy a few steaks and go grilling. We'll see plenty of sunshine for the first half
of the weekend, but a few more clouds are likely to round out the
weekend.
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