Cloudy, but quiet Tuesday ahead

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - It surely wasn’t the most pleasant Monday in the Stateline, but at least it was a warm one.

Despite most of the area being on the receiving end of about a half inch of rainfall Monday, temperatures still managed to work into the middle and upper 40s, even touching 50° in a spot or two.

Somewhat cooler times are ahead of us Tuesday, thanks the the stubborn persistence of clouds in the skies above. A few sprinkles or snow flurries are even possible very early in the day, though those chances appear to be very, very low. Temperatures are to top out in the upper 30s to lower 40s.

Wednesday’s to be another cloudy one, with temperatures very similar to those witnessed on Tuesday. The daytime hours are to be quiet, but come Wednesday night, that story changes rather dramatically.

Another dynamic storm system is to take aim on the region beginning Wednesday night, and will likely have some sort of impact on our weather well into Thursday. While the exact details are still to be ironed out, there’s a bit more clarity showing up in recent computer model runs.

The current thinking now is that precipitation is to begin as snow Wednesday evening, with an eventual transition to a wintry mix and then rain likely occurring overnight. Note, though, that the rain/snow cutoff line is to be positioned very, very close to our area, meaning even the slightest southward shift in the storm’s track may have profound impacts on the local level.

We’ll find ourselves in the storm’s dry slot for much of Thursday morning, meaning a lengthy break in the action is likely during that time.

Another round of precipitation is likely to take place in the afternoon hours Thursday. The thought is that it’d come initially as rain, but as colder air filters in on the back side of the storm system, a transition back to snow seems to be logical later in the afternoon.

As things stand right now, this does not appear to be a scenario that lends itself to big snows here. The current thought is that the heaviest snow will fall in portions of northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, and much of Wisconsin.

However, it should be noted that this forecast is NOT set in stone. The slightest shift southward in the storm’s track would spell more in the way of snow here, while a northward jog would mean even less snow and more rain. It’s a situation worth monitoring in the coming days and we’ll do just that.

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