Winter Weather Advisory Expanded, Wintry Start to the Work Week

Winter Weather Advisory:

For those that are keeping track, the spring equinox is now five days away. But that doesn't mean you should be quick to put away all your winter gear, especially with the slow transition that we normally see happen old man winter and spring. Remember we live in the Midwest, so it's not uncommon for snow chances to pop up as we roll into the spring season.

Earlier this morning, the National Weather Service came in with an eastward expansion of the Winter Weather Advisory, adding Winnebago, Boone, Ogle, Lee, McHenry, and Dekalb Counties in N. Illinois, and Rock County up in S. This advisory is set to begin late this morning, stretching until 7PM this evening. Precipitation will struggle to reach the ground at first, but snow won't be shy to make it's appearance known by early this afternoon.

 This Morning:

The same low-pressure system that brought tornadoes across the Texas Panhandle and blizzard-like conditions to the Colorado Rockies will be behind our early week snow chances. So far this morning, much of the precipitation has remained to our southwest, with areas like the Quad Cities and Sterling already reporting a mixture of rain/snow. Thanks to an expansive area of high pressure over the Great Lakes region, dry air has kept the early morning hours for our area relatively quiet. However, as this dry layer erodes, snow chances quickly heighten by late morning. Precipitation looks to start out as a mix, especially given temperatures across the region not only at the surface, but also a few thousand feet above. By late-morning, what falls will mostly be in the form of snow and it could fall moderate to heavy at times.

This Afternoon/Evening:

Snow will be likely throughout the afternoon, with snowfall rates as high as 1" per hour. Some melting may occur at first, given that road temperatures are well above freezing. However, the higher snowfall rates may deteriorate certain roadways quicker than others. Especially ones that are less frequently used and elevated (bridges and overpasses). If you plan on doing any traveling Monday afternoon or evening, please allow for extra time and take it slow. The heaviest snow should begin to taper off shortly after the evening commute, with a mix of rain/snow and light freezing drizzle lingering into the early hours of tonight. But this event should come to a close before midnight, leaving us with mostly cloudy skies into Tuesday morning.

Snowfall Totals: 

Overall, much of the area will see 2" to 4" of fresh slushy snow, with higher totals to the west and northwest of the Rockford area. I know we just finished watching the snow depth from the past few months rapidly drop thanks to the recent warmth. If you want to head outside and shovel, be sure to take a break or two from time to time. Temperatures throughout much of the day will be stuck in the low to mid 30s, meaning it will be a heavy wet snow. But it shouldn't take long for today's snow to melt, given that highs will be in the low 40s Tuesday, and upper 40s Wednesday. Guidance does bring in another low-pressure system in late Wednesday into Thursday, introducing a second chance for a wintry mix. However, high pressure takes control by the end of the week, bringing sunshine and warmth for the upcoming weekend.