Northern Illinois could see not one, but two chances for icy conditions

A light southeasterly wind in combination with an unseasonably warm and moist airmass has allowed for patchy fog to develop. 

Some spots like Galena, Freeport, and Monroe are seeing visibility values in the .5-1.0 mile range prior to the start of the morning commute. Be mindful of that if traveling this morning. 

Similar to Sunday afternoon, highs will be limited to the mid 40s due to cloud cover and the introduction of a northeasterly. At times, winds behind today's cold front could gust up to 25 mph this afternoon. South of the boundary however, warmer flow will allow temperatures to surge into the 50s, possibly close to 60°. Conditions remain quiet overnight, with this cooler northeasterly wind cooling temperatures into the low 20s.

Tuesday begins with some sunshine, though clouds will increase towards midday. That, along with this cooler northeast wind will limit afternoon highs to the 30° mark. Punching this into the calculator, that winds up 15° cooler than highs today. As we jump into the mid portions of the work week, the focus will turn to the potential for ice accumulations, primarily late Wednesday into early Thursday. 

  

From what I gathered this morning, a system will lift out of the southern plains and enter the southern half of Illinois Wednesday night. Temps will start in the upper 20s, then slowly climb into the low 30s shortly after midnight. This will put us in an environment where mixed precipitation, such as snow, sleet, and freezing rain, will be more possible. 

 

On the flip side, there are still some ingredients that need to come together for this exact scenario to play out. For the time being, keep an eye on the forecast but also start preparing for possible icy conditions. Following our mid-week system, Thursday and Friday will be relatively quiet ahead of a secondary storm system Friday night into Saturday. This one looks to take a similar track into Illinois, bringing a similar scenario with a wintry mix being the main type of precipitation. Again, monitor the forecast there is time for things to change.