Dangerously Cold Tuesday & Wednesday, Coldest Night of the Season Arrives Tonight

Back to the Arctic:

With Monday's quick-moving clipper system over and done with, our attention now turns to the bone-chilling cold that's settling in this morning. A Wind Chill Advisory is now in effect for the entire region until mid-morning as wind chill values are expected to range from -15° to -25°. 

Now, before you head out the door, make sure you are prepared. It'll be important to dress in extra layers, preferably 3 or more layers, and to avoid being outside for a prolonged period of time. If you CAN'T avoid being outdoors, cover as much exposed skin as possible as the cold we're dealing with this morning could lead to frostbite within 30-minutes. Also, don't leave your pets outside! Remember, if it's too cold for you, it's too cold for them. 

Coldest Night on the Way:

With an area of high pressure directly to our northwest, wall-to-wall sunshine is expected for our Tuesday. Unfortunately, that won't help temperatures much as most will struggle to make it out of the single-digits this afternoon.

A lingering northwesterly wind will keep wind chills below 0° so make sure to have those layers handy later on. Guidance continues to show that area of high pressure moving over northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin tonight, resulting in the coldest night of the season thus far. And similar to this morning, another round of wind chill advisory looks very likely for tonight into Wednesday morning.

Underneath a mostly clear sky, temperatures will bottom out or drop rapidly, falling as low as -10° to -15° by Wednesday morning. If you're keeping track, the last time the Rockford International Airport came in with a low that cold was February 17th of last year. So yes, it's been a while. Along for the ride does come a modest breeze,  which will be just enough of one to send wind chills down to -20° to -30° below zero. 

Again, take the same precautions are you are this morning. Try your best to limit the time you spend outdoors. Dress warmly, using plenty of layers, and consume hot fluids as often as possible. This upcoming Arctic wave seems to ease slightly into Wednesday as winds will shift to the southwest. While we do see more seasonable temperatures by Thursday, another cold front will slightly drop our temperatures as we jump into the weekend.