Arctic High in Control into Friday, Potential for Weekend Snow Increasing

An Arctic high situated over the Upper Midwest is the main culprit behind Thursday morning's bone-chilling temperatures. In fact, it's the coldest morning of the winter thus far as many spots observed a low well-below zero. Rockford was one of the very few spots that failed to fall below zero, so our search for our first sub-zero temperature continues. Regardless, it's essential that you prepare for the cold before heading out this morning, as today's plethora of sunshine won't help much with our afternoon temperatures.

This expansive dome of high pressure will keep the atmosphere dry for the remainder of the work week. The result, plenty of sunshine today with a few more cloud possible by Friday afternoon. Thankfully wind chills aren't going to be a big concern Thursday, as winds remain generally light. But as we've seen throughout the morning, any movement of the air makes all the difference, providing the air with a bit of chill. Along with extra layers, you may want to grab a pair of sunglasses for the commutes. With plenty of sunshine in the forecast, the reflective nature of all that fresh snow could put a strain on our eyes while driving. High pressure is scheduled to slide to the east of the region late Friday, giving way to a weekend where snow chances return. 

We started off the week with a winter storm, why not end it with one right? Model guidance continues to show a strengthening low pressure system diving into the central plains by Saturday morning, shifting south of the Stateline by Sunday morning. The track is kind of similar to the one that brought us accumulating snow Monday into Tuesday. Here's what we do know. The chances for accumulating snow here at home at increasing, with the potential for several inches. For anyone who is traveling late Saturday afternoon into Sunday afternoon, I would either plan well ahead or delay any travel plans. Similar to the winter storm earlier this week, blowing and drifting snow will be one of the major issues for travel. The only thing that has yet to be hashed out is snowfall totals.