Tuesday's Frigid Cold & Sunshine Gives Way to More Light Snow Chances

Many across the Great Lakes and the Upper Midwest are waking up to dangerous wind chills Tuesday morning. For us here at home, a Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect until 10AM, as wind chills so far have ranged from -15° to -25°. With wind chills that low, frostbite could occur within as little as 15-20 minutes if proper precautions are not taken. It's best to limit your time outdoors. But if you have to out and about this morning, cover all exposed skin to avoid the chances for getting a cold-related illness. In all honesty, I'd personally like this Arctic outbreak to over with, but old man winter continues to have different plans. On a positive note, we see a break in our snow chances, as sunshine returns for our Tuesday.

As we saw overnight, clouds slowly cleared out as yesterday's disturbance pulled away from the Stateline. With an area of high pressure firmly in place over the Upper Midwest, guidance keeps the atmosphere dry, resulting in a mix of clouds & sunshine. However, that sunshine won't help our temperatures much, as highs look to top out in the upper single-digits and low teens. Looking higher up in the atmosphere, a stubborn upper-level low is behind the continued push of Arctic air and the placement of the jet stream. With the jet overhead, Tuesday's sunshine will quickly give way to more light snow chances, with the first arriving by Wednesday morning.
 

Following a partly cloudy evening, clouds are expected to thicken up overnight ahead of our next disturbance. Again, guidance keeps a majority of the snow to the south of I-88, with a few flurries expanding north near the IL/WI border. Totals look to end up a bit lighter than the snow that fell on during afternoon/evening on Monday. With that being said, we'll have to keep Wednesday's morning commute in mind, especially for those that are traveling south of the Rockford area. Similar to the snow that fell on Monday, road temperatures will definitely be cold enough for slick spots to form. For those that are set to travel, use extra caution. The second half of the work week features a few more snow chances to keep an eye on, beginning with a quick-moving clipper system Thursday afternoon. As this slides through, this could provide a quick dusting to 1"-2" of snow, especially north of I-88. A pattern that has made it's presence known all too well since the intrusion of this Arctic air mass.