Travel impacts possible ahead of Thanksgiving

Typically once we get into the time of the year where months end in BER, cloudy days tend to outweigh the sunny ones. That's exactly what we are seeing this November as Rockford has observed 17 days with cloud cover at or above 80%. 

Expect this trend to be no different as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday as we'll be tracking two storm systems, one for today and then on that could bring impacts to holiday travel Wednesday.

The first of two storm systems will track to our south as we approach mid-morning. In doing so, bringing the chance for a few rain light showers late this morning into the early afternoon. 

Winds will pick up out of the northwest on the backside of this system, gusting up to 30 mph. This, along with today's cloud cover, with allow highs to be achieved early in the afternoon, with temps falling into the 30s by dinnertime.

Our best chance for sunshine this week will be Tuesday as high pressure briefly settles in. This will help clear out cloud cover overnight, enhancing the radiational cooling process. Temperatures will fall into the low 20s to start the day, then climb into the upper 30s by Tuesday afternoon. 

This is chilly for late November standards as average highs tend to be in the low 40s. A secondary system then sets it's eyes on the Stateline, possibly bringing travel impacts Wednesday. From this morning's batch of models data, there is still a lot of disagreement on how the upper-level waves will play a role. IF we see them interact with each other or "phase" with each other, that would give us a better shot at a wintry mix and travel impacts. IF they DON'T interact, the drier scenario will occur. Stay tune.