Cloud Cover, Chill Lingers into Tuesday, Next System Holds Off Until Week's End

Thanks to warmer air moving in aloft, cloud cover was hard to budge not only on Monday, but during the overnight hours. Cloud cover overnight acted as a dome, not allowing much of yesterday's warmth to escape back into the atmosphere, resulting in a slow drop in temperatures. Before the sun peeked over the horizon, temperatures in most spots fell into the low 30s. The weather this morning is a good example of what's to come for the rest of our Tuesday. A forecast that will end up pretty similar to Monday. 

Although we'll be stuck in the clouds throughout the day, this dry stretch of weather persist. After a considerably mild start, temperatures will slowly rise back to the 40° mark by the afternoon. The one component that may feel different is the wind chill. Light southwest winds this morning will increase by mid-day, gusting up to 15 to 20 mph. When you think of a southwest wind, you think of warmth. However, this breeze will keep wind chills in the upper 20s and low 30s. For that added chill, I would definitely have on an extra layer or two to stay warm. Cloud cover will hold strong into tonight, clearing out some by Wednesday morning.  

As we turn our attention to the weekend, models continue to hone in on a system that has a good chance to bring impacts to the area. This storm system originates over the southern plains Thursday evening, sliding south of the Stateline by Saturday morning. If this trend continues, winds in the low-levels will shift to the northeast during the overnight hour Friday, helping pull in cooler air. This will likely result in a changeover from rain to snow by Saturday morning, with snow persisting into the afternoon. 

The two biggest uncertainties is the track of this system, and also snow totals. Models this morning were on opposite sides of the spectrum of how much we could expect with this system. But as I mentioned, we are still a few days out. In the winter weather forecasting process, we're still 4 to 5 days away form the event. This is when meteorologist have a good idea of the scenario at play, what is most likely and what is least likely. At this point, we know that there is a high potential of a system bringing impacts for the upcoming weekend. Once we are 1-2 days out, details become more clear. Such as the track, storm impacts, precipitation type, and of course snow totals. We'll keep an eye on trends are the event draws closer!