Light Snow Early Monday, Another Frigid Night Ahead

Light Snow/Slick Spots Early:

For those that plan to travel during the morning commute, it'll be important to keep your eyes peeled for slick spots. 

A weak disturbance sliding to our west early this morning has streamed in enough moisture for a few flurries and snow showers. While we're only looking at very minor accumulations, road temperatures will be cold enough for this morning's activity to create a few headaches on the roads.

Skies Clear, Remaining Cold:

Our snow chances overall look to taper off before mid-morning, with skies gradually clearing to a mostly sunny sky. Despite all the sunshine we'll see this afternoon, highs will be limited to the low teens thanks to a bitterly cold northwesterly wind. This will more than likely keep wind chills below zero throughout the afternoon. So, it's safe to say that you'll want to be dressed properly, ESPECIALLY if you have to outside for a prolonged period of time.

Another Frigid Night Ahead:

As an area of arctic high pressure settles in early tonight, the environment will be prime for overnight lows to fall below zero. Wind chills will be fluctuating throughout the night, especially since we see a shift in winds into Tuesday morning. Most of the night however should be spent in between the -5° to -15° range. 

This won't be cold enough for the issuance of a wind chill advisory. However, those layers will come in handy big-time for kids heading to school Tuesday morning, or if you are heading to work. The good news is that warmer times are expected to follow as the jet stream will retreats back into Canada by midweek. This will help full warmer air into the Stateline, allowing highs to climb into the upper 20s by Tuesday, low to mid 30s for the rest of the work week.

Flurries/light snow possible early Monday; Could cause some slick spots for the early morning commute

 

The freezing drizzle and fog from Saturday afternoon and evening ended Saturday night, but the residual ice still had an impact on area sidewalks, side roads, parking lots and back decks as temperatures fell from the low 30s early Sunday morning, down into the teens during the afternoon.  Sunday's weather was much improved, but cold, despite the sunshine throughout the day.

Clear skies are set to continue through the rest of

Sunday evening ahead of a quick moving clipper system that'll pass just to the south of northern Illinois late Sunday night.  While not a lot of moisture will accompany the clipper, there may be just enough forcing in the atmosphere to allow some flurries or light snow to develop during the overnight.  If any snow does occur, it's not going to be much - perhaps a dusting to a few tenths of an inch - but it will be very fluffy given surface temperatures holding steady in the single digits.

The cold air mass also means that whatever does end up falling will stick right away to any untreated (and perhaps some treated) surfaces.  This *could* pose an issue for the early morning commute as most of this looks to occur before 7am.  Once the clipper passes mid-morning Monday, skies will clear as  high pressure moves in from the northwest.  The reinforcing northwest wind will continue to hold high temperatures in the low to mid teens, with wind chills in the single digits for much of the afternoon.  Temperatures Monday night will fall below zero once again, with wind chills Tuesday morning dropping as low as -10 to -15 degrees. 

Freezing rain potential tomorrow

It has been bitterly cold over these last few days, so at least we will get a short break from it tomorrow... But with the warmer temperatures comes the chance for freezing rain. Ahead of this weather system, the National Weather Service has issued Winter Weather Advisories across much of the Southern part of our viewing area. Western parts of these go into effect at 9AM tomorrow and Eastern parts go into effect at 1PM.  This advisory also stretches as far South as St Louis, covering most of Illinois.

We will see the freezing rain move in from the South, just clipping the Stateline through the afternoon and evening. Futurecast shows scattered to isolated freezing drizzle through most of the afternoon and evening tomorrow. The heavier areas of ice accumulation will definitely remain South, but we could still see more than a few hundredths of an inch of ice, which is more than enough to cause some hazardous travel conditions.

This freezing rain is likely to develop for a few reasons. First, we are having some fairly strong Southerly winds that will move some moisture and warmth into the Stateline, and with that, we will see precipitation. This initially falls as snow, as all wintry precipitation does. However, there will be a layer of air just above the surface that is above freezing, causing the snow to melt into rain. Then, that rain will encounter the colder, below freezing air closer to the surface, and freeze on contact with the ground. 

If we time out the precipitation tomorrow, we will see the main time frame of concern is in the afternoon and evening tomorrow. We will mainly see the chances for freezing rain develop after 12PM, and we could see chances for those last into the evening. Some slick spots on roadways are possible, if not likely. Untreated roads could become especially slick. Overall, we will only see accumulations reach a few hundredths of an inch, but that is still more than enough to cause some issues on the roadways. 

We will cool back down into Sunday and Monday, but warmer temperatures are on the way near the end of the week.

Dangerous Morning Chills, Warming Back Up into Saturday

Dangerous AM Chills:

Since the moment we jumped into 2022, winter has shown no signs of slowing down here in the Stateline. First, it was the potent winter storm that came through on New Year's Day. Now, it's the bone-chilling cold. A Wind Chill Advisory will remain in effect until 9AM this morning as wind chill values could range from -20° to -30°. 

It'll be highly important to dress in multiple layers, as well as cover as much exposed skin as possible to keep you safe from this dangerous cold and to avoid getting frostbite. For kids heading to school, remain in the car where it's warm until your bus arrives at your bus stop so that you're not standing in the cold. The combination of our morning lows, along with well-below zero wind chills will allow frostbite to occur within 30 minutes or less. 

Sunny, But Very Cold:

With an area of high pressure diving in from the Upper Midwest, our Friday features plenty of sunshine. However, that won't help our high temps much as most will struggle to climb out of the single-digits this afternoon. 

Winds for a majority of the daylight hours will be out of the west-northwest, leaving wind chills below-zero. Once this high pressure system slides to the east of the region, winds will then turn to the south-southeast, allowing warmer air to filter into the western Great Lakes. Tonight's low is expected to occur early on in the night, with temperatures slowly climbing into Saturday morning. 

Weekend Outlook:

Sunshine looks to kick off Saturday, with clouds increasing late in the day thanks to our next weak disturbance. This will help pull in enough moisture for a light wintry mix chance Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening.

From there, temperatures fall once again following another cold frontal passage, placing temperatures in the teens by Sunday afternoons then around 0° once again by Sunday night. Sub-zero lows are likely Monday night, before temperatures climb back above average starting Tuesday. 

Wind Chill Advisory issued as dangerous wind chills expected by Friday morning

 

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY has been issued for all of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin beginning at 9pm Thursday, lasting through 9am Friday.

High temperatures Thursday afternoon struggled to make it out of the upper single digits and low teens, with Rockford officially reaching 13 degrees.  The average high should be right around 30 degrees.  With only a few clouds expected through the night, temperatures will tumble under a mostly clear sky.  Already, temperatures have dropped into the low single digits and below zero.

There is a still a breeze from the Northwest Thursday evening which has pushed wind chills down into the single digits below zero, some reaching double digits below zero!  Wind chill values for all Friday morning will fall as low as twenty five degrees below zero, even though the wind will be much lighter as high pressure moves in overnight.

Wind chill values remain below zero during the afternoon Friday as the actual air temperature rises to

near 10 degrees.  Temperatures Friday evening will plummet once again, but as southerly winds develop the temperature will actually begin to rise into Saturday morning.  But until then, make sure you've covered any exposed skin if out Friday, especially during the morning.  Winds Friday afternoon will remain light, first from the Northwest and then shifting around to the Southeast. 

Bitterly Cold Arctic Filters in Behind Wednesday's Strong Winds

Blustery Wednesday:

Strong westerly winds behind yesterday's front caused quite the headache for travelers, blowing plenty of Saturday's snowfall across the roads. Peak wind gusts for a majority of the Stateline landed in the 40-50 mph range, with Galena coming in on top with a gust at 48 mph. Although winds subsided somewhat overnight, they will still play a major role in the harsh temps and wind chills that move in for the rest of the work week. 

Extremely Cold Stretch:

Wind chills early Thursday morning to start will range from -5°to -15°. To prepare, pack on those layers and give your vehicle a few minutes to warm up before hitting the roads. Thanks to a low-pressure system to our south, clouds are expected to linger well into the afternoon. 

Winds throughout the day wont' nearly be as strong as they were on Wednesday. However, they will still pack a punch, leaving highs in the teens and wind chill values below zero. Needless to say, the layers you put on this morning will definitely come in handy once kids or yourselves are heading home later today.

Wind Chill Advisory: 

As an area of high pressure slides in from the northwest, skies turn partly cloudy overnight into Friday morning. This will create a more conducive environment for temperatures to drop below zero. 

Winds will be light out of the west northwest at 5 to 10 mph, allowing wind chill values to drop as low as 20° to 25° below zero. Areas to the west will be placed under a WIND CHILL ADVISORY from 6 PM this evening to 9AM Friday.

Blowing/Drifting Snow & Near-Whiteout Conditions Likely Thanks to Today's Strong Winds

Blustery Wednesday:

Wednesday features out second impactful winter-like storm of the season. The first, being the one from this past Saturday bringing the Rockford International Airport 4.8" of fresh snow. 

Today's storm system however will be in the form of a "wind machine", bringing our area powerful winds that may gust as high as 45 mph. For that reason, the National Weather Service has placed the entire area under a Winter Weather Advisory until 6PM this evening. The main concern not being snow. In fact, it's going to be for the likelihood for blowing and drifting snow, along with near-white out conditions in open areas.

Travel Impacts:

As this powerful storm system tracks eastward into the Great Lakes, it's associated cold front is expected to slide through before mid-morning. This will allow winds to shift to the west, with gust peaking out between 35-45 mph. 

Meaning that if your travels take you on north and south roadways, those are the roads that will see the most impacts from today's powerful winds. Extreme caution is urged while driving, even if you don’t see drifts right in front of you. Not only will the gusty winds make for extremely difficult travel conditions, they will usher in a much colder air-mass into the Stateline. 

Late-Week Cold:

Temperatures early Wednesday morning are sitting in the low to mid 20s. As today's westerly winds help filter in that cold arctic air, temperatures are expected to fall into the afternoon. 

Unfortunately, as temperatures fall and winds remain strong, wind chills will remain well below zero through much of our Wednesday. In fact, wind chills are expected to remain below-zero through the end of the work week. We'll see the worst of this upcoming cold snap Friday morning as overnight lows fall well below-zero, with wind chills registering between -10° to -20°. So, be prepared for the winds today, then the cold as we get into Thursday and Friday.