Wind-driven rain showers continue Sunday evening

 

A chilly rain continues to fall area wide Sunday evening as low pressure deepens over the Great Lakes. The rain has become widespread over the last several hours and has been heavy at times. We will continue to see scattered showers throughout the evening, but the coverage should become less during the overnight.

Temperatures have been rather chilly Sunday warming only in the low to mid 40s. There won't be much of a drop in temperatures overnight thanks to the cloud cover. Lows will dip into the upper 30s.

Northwest winds have been gusting to around 35 mph throughout the afternoon and are expected to remain blustery through the night. Wind speeds may actually increase during the day Monday as a strong low-level jet pivots around low pressure over the eastern Great Lakes. This could cause winds to gust as high as 40-45 mph throughout the afternoon.

Winds will remain strong both Monday and Tuesday but should ease up Tuesday evening as high pressure

moves back in. Highs on Monday will only warm to the mid/upper 40s and then low 50s on Tuesday.

Light rain Saturday, Light wintry mix Sunday

 

Light rain showers will continue to move in from west to east Saturday morning behind a cold front that is already nearing north-central Illinois. The rain will last only for a couple hours, ending by 9a/10a. Drier air moving in briefly behind the showers may allow some breaks in the cloud cover late morning and afternoon. Temperatures are expected to warm into the middle and upper 50s.

Scattered showers will move back in during the

evening and overnight as temperatures fall into the middle 30s. Colder air wrapping in around a deepening low pressure system Sunday will hold high temperatures in the mid/upper 40s. This will keep not only scattered rain showers in the forecast throughout the morning and afternoon, but also the chance for a few wet snowflakes and graupel mixing in. No accumulations are expected, but definitely not something we want to see at the end of April and beginning of May.

Winds are also going to increase with the strengthening low, gusting from the northwest at 30 mph Sunday, and then near 40 mph Monday. This will only help reinforce the colder air.

Sunshine will gradually return throughout the day Tuesday with highs in the middle 50s. We are back in the 60s Wednesday and Thursday, but the chance for rain returns with an unsettled jet stream.   

Spring chill returns for the weekend

 

It has been a beautiful Spring afternoon as temperatures Thursday warmed into the mid and upper 60s. Skies have been clear as high pressure continues to hold firm across the Great Lakes. A few clouds may move in late in the evening and overnight, but skies are expected to remain partly cloudy through Friday morning. Overnight lows will remain seasonable, in the low 40s.

Cloud cover will continue to increase as low pressure moves through southern and central Illinois Thursday night, then into the Ohio Valley Friday. A stray shower or two can't be ruled out during the day but a better chance for rain returns Friday night.

Scattered off and on showers are likely Saturday, but there does appear to be some dry time during the early afternoon. A stronger cold front moving in Saturday night will not only bring temperatures back down below average, but also increase the chance for widely scattered rain Saturday evening and night.

Sunday appears to be the best day for rain, possibly mixed in with some snow or graupel throughout the afternoon. Highs on Sunday will struggle to make it

much above 50 degrees. Temperatures remain near 50 degrees Monday with temperatures back into the 60s by the middle of the week. 

  

Frost Advisory issued Wednesday night

 

A FROST ADVISORY has been issued for all of northern Illinois beginning late Wednesday night, lasting through Thursday morning.

Areas of frost are likely once again as temperatures fall at, or below, freezing Wednesday night. While there may be some locations that dip into the 20s, temperatures shouldn't be quite as cold as Tuesday night. Be sure to cover up or bring in any plants or vegetation that may be sensitive to the cold. Temperatures will slowly warm through the week before falling back below average by the weekend. 

Freeze Watch issued for Tuesday night

 

A FREEZE WATCH has been issued for all of northern Illinois beginning Tuesday night, lasting through Wednesday morning.

Skies will slowly clear as high pressure builds in from the north Tuesday evening. This will allow temperatures to fall into the upper 20s and low 30s under mostly clear skies. Areas of frost are also likely Wednesday morning. Be sure to cover up or bring in any plants or vegetation that may be sensitive to the cold.

This cooler than normal pattern will carry us through the end of April and beginning of May. Temperatures will warm by the end of the week, climbing into the middle and upper 60s Thursday and Friday, but will drop right back down by the weekend. The reason, another cold core low-pressure system over the Great Lakes. 

The chilly pattern as of late - and going forward - is the result of a blocking pattern in the jet stream. This is known as a 'Greenland Block'. High pressure becomes stationary near Greenland causing the jet stream to 'back up' to the west. A ridge of high pressure builds over the west coast of the United States, forcing the jet stream to buckle over the Midwest and Great Lakes causing the colder air to spill south. 

Blocking patterns are hard to break and can last for several days. We will see the pattern weaken slightly by the middle of the week, but it looks to take hold once again by the weekend. Longer range outlooks continue to show a higher probability for below normal temperatures over the Great Lakes and East, as well as out West. 

There remains a higher probability for above average precipitation over the Plains and out west,

with below average precipitation over the Great Lakes.     

Light rain expected Monday night

Cloud cover has filled back in Monday afternoon as low-pressure inches closer to the Stateline. Skies will remain mostly cloudy through the night as scattered rain showers move in. The highest coverage in rain will remain south of I-80, but light showers are expected across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Rainfall totals will remain under a tenth of an inch.

Temperatures will fall into the mid and upper 30s

Monday night, rising back into the low 50s Tuesday afternoon. There are likely to be a few widely scattered rain showers around early Tuesday morning, possibly lasting into the early afternoon. Skies should then begin to clear by late afternoon and evening.

Dry conditions are expected through the rest of the week with the next chance of rain returning late in the day Friday.

Cooler pattern settles in for the weekend

 

Temperatures Thursday afternoon warmed into the low to mid 70s, reaching 76 degrees in Rockford. A cooler than normal trend, however, appears to occur through the end of April and beginning of May.

There also remains a higher probability for below average precipitation during that time as well.

Temperatures have dropped following a strong cold front Thursday evening. Overnight lows will dip to the low 40s, climbing into the low 60s Friday

afternoon. Winds will turn back to the southwest during the day as sunshine returns. A couple upper-level disturbances moving across the Midwest during the afternoon and evening will bring back the cloud cover, along with a chance for a few isolated showers Friday evening. 

Saturday we'll see mostly cloudy skies and scattered rain/snow showers as a cold core low pressure system sits over the Great Lakes. This will hold temperatures in the 40s for both Saturday and Sunday. Overnight

lows will fall below freezing. Highs next week will gradually warm through the upper 50s but remain slightly below average through the end of the month.