Slick/Foggy AM Commute, Few More Snow Chances Lie Ahead

Early Season Snow:

From a meteorological perspective, it hasn't been a bad start to the snow season. Between the snow that fell this past Saturday and the snowfall from Tuesday, the Rockford Airport has observed 1.5" of snow. Now, we're not out of the woods just yet as guidance has introduced a few more chances this week that we'll need to keep an eye on.    

Slick/Foggy Commute:

While the snow that fell yesterday didn't last long that's to November's sun angle, the leftover moisture may make for slick spots during the morning commute. Especially since our regional temperatures are sitting at or below the freezing mark this morning. To be safe, remain extra cautious while traveling bridges and overpasses as those tend to ice up  at a faster rate than the main roads surrounded by the ground and soil. Another thing to keep in mind if you plan to travel this morning is that the amount of low-level moisture could also lead to some dense fog.

More Snow on the Way:

In a similar fashion to Tuesday, snow showers will work their way into the forecast thanks to a weak disturbance sliding through. Scattered snow chances look to start up during the late-morning hours, lasting through much of the afternoon and evening. Overall, accumulations for most will fall in the trace to 1" range. 

Highs because of today's cloud cover, chilly west-northwesterly wind, and of course the snow chances will be limited once again to the mid to upper 30s. A cold front coming through Thursday looks to bring a third round of snow showers to the area. This time, the potential for snow squalls comes along for the ride. As a reminder, snow squalls are short but intense burst of snow accompanied by strong winds that can produce whiteout or near whiteout conditions. Also with Thursday's cold front comes a very cold air-mass that will send temperatures tumbling ahead of the weekend.

Turning Very Cold:

Friday and Saturday are to be brutally cold when compared to November standards. Normally at this point in the year, average highs are sitting in the mid to upper 40s. Well, highs Friday afternoon are currently forecasted to peak in the low to possibly mid 20s, while Saturday’s not to be much better than the upper 20s.  It's not until Sunday that we begin to see slight improvements slide into the temperature department.

With winds turning more to the southwest, highs will once again climb back into the upper 20s, with 30s and 40s ticketed for the early portions of Thanksgiving week. As a matter of fact, the latest 8-14 day long-range outlook showcases a trend in which brings above-average temperatures to the area around Thanksgiving. 

Fingers crossed folks.