FIRST ALERT: Dense fog remains likely overnight, heavy rain to follow Monday

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Happy 2023 to one and all! I hope the year to come brings everyone nothing but health and prosperity!

We’ve got plenty to talk about in the year’s opening week, starting first with locally dense fog which has developed late this New Year’s Day. The combination of temperatures and dew points either identical or nearly identical as well as a light or non-existent wind has allowed for fog to quickly develop, and visibilities have dropped quickly and sharply over the past few hours. As of 6:00pm, many locations were reporting visibility well under a mile, and with things expected to get worse before they get better, it’s no suprise the National Weather Service pulled the trigger in issuing a Dense Fog Advisory for much of the area through mid-morning Tuesday.

It’s possible, if not likely that visibility will remain a concern through much of Monday morning, and while many will remain home from work observing the New Year’s Day holiday Monday, those who do need to commute will likely face travel impacts, and should budget extra time to get to their destination in the early going.

Once the fog lifts, clouds will remain in place, though we’re likely to stay dry during the afternoon, with temperatures reaching the upper 30s to lower 40s. A few showers are possible late in the afternoon or around dinnertime, though it’s likely most of us stay dry through that time.

It’s entirely possible our high temperature of 45° may not occur until late Monday night, as temperatures are set to climb as a warm front lifts northward through the area. That very warm front is to send rain chances quickly upward as the night progresses.

While heavy downpours are a distinct possibility overnight Monday into early Tuesday and embedded rumbles of thunder are a very good bet to occur here or there, the risk for severe weather is extremely, extremely low.

Tuesday’s to start on a cloudy note, and a few showers are also possible to linger through the day’s early going. There is, however, a school of thought that suggests we may emerge into a period of sunshine late in the morning through early to mid-afternoon Tuesday. That, combined with a howling southerly wind will send temperatures skyward. The current forecast maintains a high temperature of 56° Tuesday, though it wouldn’t take much of a change for a few 60° temperatures to occur.

A cold front will quickly sweep through Tuesday night, potentially touching off another widely scattered shower, though the expectation is that most precipitation this go-around will be to our north and northwest.

From there, temperatures are to turn sharply cooler, but hardly cold. Temperatures between Wednesday and Friday are to fall within the 30° to 35° range each day, which will come in at or ever so slightly above normal. There’s a snow chance Wednesday, though the early read is that it’s not to amount to much more than a light coating.

Those hoping for a true shot of cold air or any prolific snows will be disappointed to see that neither appear likely in 2023′s first couple weeks. The longer range outlooks continue to suggest milder than normal conditions persisting through at least the midway point of the month, and while snow chances will appear in the forecast here or there, there’s no evidence suggesting a blockbuster storm is in view.

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