Light snow possible Monday, much more significant system possible later this week

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - While temperatures Sunday were among the chilliest we’ve seen all season thus far, it sure was nice to see the sun shining in the Stateline for the first time in more than a week!

The skies above are clear Sunday evening, though, meaning temperatures are set to tumble. Temperatures had already fallen into the single digits by late Sunday evening, and wind chills have dipped below 0° in many spots as well. When all’s said and done, temperatures are to fall to between 5° and 10° by early Monday morning.

After possibly seeing some sunshine very early in the day Monday, clouds are to fill back in rather quickly as an area of low pressure approaches from the west.

Snow will develop to our west Monday afternoon and will at least be attempting to invade our airspace. However, the presence of dry air here will ward off any consequential precipitation until at least the dinner hour.

Eventually, the atmosphere will moisten enough to the point that flurries and light snow showers may reach ground level for a few hours Monday evening. Accumulations, if any, wouldn’t amount to more than a half inch in any one particular spot.

Sunshine’s due back in on Tuesday, and despite a northwesterly wind in place, temperatures will top out around 30°, which will easily make Tuesday the “warmest” day of the week.

Now to address the elephant in the room. The social media sphere is abuzz over the potential for a major snow event set to sweep through the Great Lakes and/or the Northeast.

We can confirm that, yes, there is likely to be a high impact winter weather event that will cause significant problems. However, being able to address the precise details on how the storm will affect us would be a fool’s errand, with the storm system’s arrival still several days away.

We can, however, offer a general overview of what we can expect based on current modeling. The expectation is that snow could begin as early as late Wednesday night or very early Thursday morning.

Snow would then likely fall for a good chunk of the day Thursday, with winds picking up as the day goes on.

Thursday night into Friday morning potentially appears as the period of highest impact, as snow will pick up in intensity along with the winds. Should this scenario unfold, near whiteout conditions would be a possibility.

Snow then could continue through the first half of Friday before shutting down in the afternoon.

As for accumulations, it’s far too early to even remotely consider speculating. Simply put, at this distance in time, there remain far too many questions regarding the storm’s track, speed, intensity, and other factors to be able to offer a credible forecast. With that said, though, we can confidently say that this is a system very much worth watching, and those with travel plans late in the week need to keep a close eye out for subsequent updates, as we see there at least being the potential for significant travel impacts Thursday and/or Friday.

One thing’s for sure. After the storm departs, the arctic spigot is to open, sending brutally cold air in our direction as we draw closer to Christmas. Temperatures Friday and Saturday aren’t to get out of the single digits during the day, and will go below zero at night. What’s more, wind chills are likely heading into the -20° to -30° range at night, if not lower, and it’s likely the Wind Chill Advisories or Warnings will be needed at some point. More on that is to come as the week progresses.

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