1-9-18 Illinois Forecast: Big mid-week warm-up…closely watching late week winter storm threat. N.

Video:

The big concern this morning is for freezing fog.  Fog will be slow to lift through the morning.  Visibility forecast through 2pm CST today:

A warm front moves through tonight with widespread drizzle.  Temperatures will need to be monitored closely, as there is window of freezing drizzle concern especially along/northeast of I-74.  Warmer air will move northward ending any “freezing” threat from south to north during the 8pm to 4am time-frame:

Wednesday will feature more drizzle with much warmer temperatures, well into the 40s and 50s!  Temperatures remain steady Wednesday night, with some areas south nearing 60º south Thursday ahead of a STRONG cold front..  Temperatures fall dramatically Thursday evening and night as precipitation continues across the state.  Freezing rain and icing will be a concern Thursday night, followed by a transition to snow Friday into Saturday.  Depending on the track of the secondary low pressure, portions of the state could see a swath of significant snow.  More details in today’s video!  Here is a forecast radar loop from the European model 6pm Thursday to 6pm Saturday: