Blustery & Stormy Tuesday, Temperatures Crash Following Cold Front

 

A very busy day of weather lies ahead for the Stateline, After seven straight days featuring plenty of sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures, mother nature is throwing everything at us today as a very dynamic system develops over the Midwestern United States. We'll dissect it piece by piece, starting with today's gusty winds. 

The start of our Tuesday has featured quite the wind, as most locations have registered sustained wind up to 15-25 mph. As an area of low pressure strengthens, and approaches the Stateline, the pressure gradient in the low-levels of the atmosphere is expected to tighten up. Similar to yesterday, this will help increase wind gusts by this afternoon. Due to how strong winds seem to get, the National Weather Service has place a majority of the Stateline under a Wind Advisory from 12PM - 10PM. The strongest winds will be felt late this afternoon into the evening, with south-southwest winds gusting up to 40-50 mph. Any loose objects in your yard will need to be secured or brought indoors. It's also important to watch out for high-profile vehicles while out on the roadways.

Switching gears to severe weather, it's very important to know that severe weather is possible at any point in the year. Today is a great example of that. Overnight, the Storm Prediction Center upgraded the entire region from a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5), to a Slight Risk (level 2 of 5). As this low pressure system drifts to the northeast, a line of showers and thunderstorms forms along it in eastern Iowa. Models have been consistent with showing this line crossing over the Mississippi River by 2 PM, and tracking eastward over the Stateline through 6-7PM. The biggest threats continue to be heavy rainfall and gusty winds up to 60-70 mph. Because the added "spin" this low pressure system gives the atmosphere, a brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out. With that being said, please be sure to have multiple ways to get watches and warnings, and pay attention to the forecast.

Following tonight's cold front, temperatures will rapidly drop into Wednesday morning. Those who have to leave the house early will need to grab their winter jackets, as temperatures fall into the 30s, with wind chills in the 20s. High pressure moving in behind the front will help clear out any cloud cover, bringing plenty of sunshine for the middle of the work week. Following a much colder start, highs will only climb into the upper 40s and low 50s by the afternoon. Well below what we've seen over the last week, but much closer to November standards.