More of the Same for MLK Day, Big Changes Late in the Week

Tastes of winter have been hard to come by this January, as a majority of the days here at home have ended up warmer than average. In fact, 82% of January's days have ended up above average, leading to an average high of 33.9°. A glimpse at the upcoming work week shows the temperature roller coaster returning to the Stateline, with a strong cold front being the main culprit. 

A similar pattern to what we saw over this past weekend sticks around into the beginning of the work. Cloud cover has been hard to budge or break, as a weak disturbance moves in from the northwest. With the current state of our atmosphere, this disturbance doesn't have much to work with. However, a few flurries cannot be ruled out early on, especially to the south and west of the Rockford area. As for the rest of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, cloud cover is expected to slowly break apart by the evening hours, with further clearing likely tonight. The combination of clouds and west to northwesterly winds should send temperatures down another degree or two Monday, though we’ll still likely remain a few degrees above normal.

Moving forward into the later half of the work week, models have been hinting at another shot of cold air, all thanks to a strong cold front. The timing of this front seems to be late Thursday, with temperatures ahead of the front climbing into the low 30s Wednesday and mid 30s Thursday. An area of high pressure to the northwest will help filter in this much cooler air-mass, with the coldest holding off until Friday and Friday night. Highs towards the weekend drop from the mid 30s on Thursday, down into the low to mid 20s Friday and Saturday. As that area of high pressure approaches the Stateline, that will help dry out the atmosphere as we head into the upcoming weekend. In fact, that's where out best chance for sunshine resides.