Cloudy & Cold Saturday, Sunshine Makes a Much-Needed Return Sunday

Cloudy & Cold:

I don't know if any of you saw it, but there was a moment Friday where there was enough breakage in our cloud cover for a peek or two of sun. At this point, I'll take any sunshine considering the fact that 10 of the last 12 days have registered either mostly cloudy or overcast skies (80% cloud cover or higher). Unfortunately, this long-lived streak is set to continue into the start of our weekend as this stubborn upper-level low spirals nearby. 

If you plan on pulling out of the driveway early on in the day, watch out for slick spots. These will more in abundance on back-roads, untreated roads, and those that are less frequently used. Expect a mostly cloudy to overcast sky, with high falling a few degrees cooler than yesterday. 

In a similar fashion to Friday, a few flurries and snow showers will accompany today's clouds. However, the ones that pass through today won't be as widespread and long-lasting. By tonight, that chance comes to a close, with skies turning partly cloudy into Sunday. With a ridge of high pressure sliding in from the northwest, this heightens the possibility for northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to see some MUCH-NEEDED sunshine. On the flip side, I wish we would be able to enjoy the sun's return as high are ticketed for the low 20s.

Next Week's Arctic Blast:

Before we get into the specifics, I would just like to point out that forecast models really haven't had a good handling of next week's cold. But from what it looks like, Monday and Tuesday will end up similar to Sunday temperature-wise. 

Clouds increase late Monday, with a flurry or two lasting into the early stages of Tuesday. It isn't until Wednesday that we begin to see temperatures take a tumble, landing in the low 20s, then into the teens for the remainder of the week. Overnight lows both Tuesday night and Wednesday night aim to fall into the single-digits, a territory that the Stateline hasn't seen since March 10th. Temperatures may even register at or just below the 0-degree mark Thursday night. If that were to happen, that would be the first sub-zero temperature since January 26th where we fell to -18°. BRRRRR! 

Late Week Storm:

Another component of the forecast we'll have to keep an eye on is a storm system for the late Wednesday-early Friday time frame. While the chance for a white Christmas is already somewhat higher than in year's past, the track this system takes may further heighten our chances. 

Especially if the European model were to verify, which bringing the surface low into Central Illinois and spiraling into the Great Lakes. On the other hand, the GFS or American model showcased a significantly less chance for us to see accumulating snow as it kept the storm track well to our south. With this event being 4+ days out, there is still plenty of time for the forecast to change. As we get closer, the finer details will be revealed.