Frigidly Cold Friday, Big Improvements Arrive This Weekend

Brief Arctic Blast:

Thursday's frontal passage marked the beginning of our second Arctic blast in the last week. Fortunately, this one is going to be very brief. Brief as in only sticking around for today. 

With this round of Arctic air comes another Wind Chill Advisory. This time, it's for all of our N. Illinois and S. Wisconsin counties. Up until the expiration which is during the late morning hours, wind chills will range from -15° to -25°. 

Before you head out the door this morning, make sure to dress appropriately. Frostbite in this type of cold can occur within 20-25 minutes. Friday begins on a sun-filled note, with a round of clouds sliding in during the afternoon. 

Sadly, the amount of sunshine we see throughout the day won't have any impact on our temperatures. Expect highs this afternoon to only peak in the single-digits. Clouds then aim to stick around into the first half of the night, with some clearing taking place as we enter the early stages of Saturday. Temperatures will start off near or even a degree or two below-zero, rising into the teens by the time the sun peeks over the horizon.

Warm-Up Begins:

Remember, I said this upcoming Arctic blast is going to be VERY brief! With today's Arctic high pressure system sliding to our east, winds Saturday will be more out of the southwest.  

This will help bring huge improvements to the temperature department for the weekend, bringing highs into the low 30s. Aside from a slim shower chance Saturday night into Sunday, much of the weekend will be dry. Another influx of warm air aims to take place into the early stages of Monday, keeping the above-average trend well intact.

Staying Warm:

Now, both Woodstock Willie and Punxsutawney Phil saw their shadow Thursday morning, resulting in 6 more weeks of winter. That prediction however not starting off well as temperatures will be not so winter-like after today. 

Ahead of another weak frontal boundary, southeast winds will place temperatures close to the 40-degree mark starting Monday. In fact, forecast models this morning came in a bit warmer for the mid-portions of the week, placing highs in the low 40s. When you do the calculations, that places us 10°-15° above early-February standards. This warm up does come with a chance for mixed precipitation chance Tuesday into Tuesday night.