Wind Advisory Issued, Wind Whipped Snow Showers Possible

Yesterday's cold front has definitely made it's presence known, bringing a chilly, breezy start to our Thursday. Temperatures as we woke up this morning were in the low to mid 30s, with wind chills down into the upper 20s in a few locations. For someone who needs to leave for work or to grab anything essential this morning, I would definitely dress warmly before stepping out the door. Maybe even brew up a nice hot cup of coffee, and a large one too. As we continue to see that transition from late winter to spring, Thursday's forecast features the potential for strong winds, snow squalls, and even thunder.

A tight pressure gradient is going to be behind the strong winds we'll see throughout the day today. The low pressure system that brought our cold front through yesterday is drifting off to the Northeast, allowing an area of high pressure slide southeastward into the High Plains. The pressure in between the two is very tight. When you have such tight pressure in between two systems, it results in very strong wind gusts. For that reason, the National Weather Service has placed a wind advisory for all of our northern Illinois counties that will go into effect at 10 am this morning, stretching until 7 pm this evening.

Observed winds across the Stateline this morning have been in the range of 15-25 mph, with gusts closing in on the 40 mph mark. These chilly northwesterly winds could gust between 40-50 mph, with the strongest winds will be felt between noontime and 6 PM this evening. If you have any loose objects laying around your yard, make sure that they're either secured, or brought inside so that they don't blow into your neighbors yard or down the street. These strong winds will also cause difficult traveling conditions to the area, especially for those that operate high-profile vehicles.

Remember when I said April can bring a few surprises to the table? Well, here ya go. The strong winds today won't be the only type of weather making an appearance. We may have started off our Thursday with beautiful sunny skies, but clouds are expected to build late this morning, and through the afternoon leading to a chance for afternoon snow showers. I know, I know. It's a four letter word that I don't want to be using as we roll into mid-April. But the possibility is there. Some of these snow showers could be classified as snow squalls which feature heavier bursts of snow, and reduced visibility. Something to also keep in mind if you are going to be traveling this afternoon and evening.

The National Weather Service office in Chicago actually tweeted about this this morning, and we had a similar set-up back in April 2016. The reason behind today's snow chances are due to the fact that at about 10000 feet above the surface, temperatures are forecast to be below freezing. Snow could mix with graupel or "soft hail" at times, as these showers could undergo similar processes to that of an average-day thunderstorms. Snow shouldn't accumulate to much, but it could be enough to leave a dusting and a few slick spots on roadways. Now this mixed bag of weather doesn't last for long, as Friday brings the return of sunny skies and less gusty conditions.