Video (6 min):
Good Wednesday morning! Area of showers impacting the southern portions of the state this morning. This area of showers will continue to push northeast, mostly out of the state by noon-time. That said, we expect thickening clouds with some areas of drizzle/fog developing as we go deeper through the day.
Fog becomes a big issue tonight across the northern half of the state, mainly where snow is on the ground. Hi-res data is indicating near ZERO visibility by early evening through tonight in these areas. The good news is that we should keep air temperatures above freezing to avoid any “freezing” fog.
Thursday is a showery day for much of the state as an area of low pressure and front rides across the state. The rains become heavier Thursday evening/night over the southern half of the state as the front passes, with a rumble or two of thunder.
High temperatures Thursday will range from the middle 30s north to near 70º far south. Quite the gradient! A very tight temperature gradient sets up through the day over north-central portions of the state, as you can see on this temperature loop from noon Thursday to 6am Friday CT:
The front will slow down as it moves into southern Illinois. This will enhance rainfall totals of 1-2″ over southern portions of the state, with the rain likely lingering through the first half of Friday.
In video we discuss the discrepancies in the data for Saturday’s forecast. If there is any precipitation, it would be on Saturday and again Sunday night. Canadian and GFS show a wave moving through the state with some light snow and rain, while the European keeps the energy more separated and is dry. Right now the highest confidence is that much of Sunday looks dry and much warmer as southerly winds crank up.
Weeks 1 and 2 outlooks. Data continues to indicate a very wet pattern into the Ohio Valley over the next 2 weeks. Southern Illinois looks to see the highest totals.
