SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING (New at 1pm)

-       SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
  SOUTHERN BOONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS…
  WESTERN DE KALB COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS…
  LEE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS…
  OGLE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS…
  SOUTHEASTERN WINNEBAGO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS…

 AT 1255 PM CDT…A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ALONG A
  LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF MOUNT MORRIS TO POLO TO 5
  MILES WEST OF WALTON…AND MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

  HAZARD…QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 60 MPH WIND GUSTS.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

-     Our first large severe thunderstorm warning of the year has been issued and covers all of Northern Illinois until 5pm. Storms that develop will have the capablilty for harge hail and damaging winds.

FLOOD WATCH

-     The entire area, both Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, is under a flood watch through Friday morning with the potential for flash flooding in low lying areas and near rivers, creeks and lakes.

FLOOD WARNING

-     A flood warning is in effect for Pecatonica River near Shirland, Rock River at Rockton, and Rock River at Latham Park where minor flooding is occurring.

Stay tuned for more updates as they happen. -Greg

Posted under event, flooding, severe weather, weather

If you have been itching to dust off the golf clubs and squeeze in a few rounds like I have, you only have one decent shot at making that happen this week. As of right now we only have one day that looks to remain completely dry and that luckily is tomorrow. Temperatures will be down across the board so a morning tee time would be a very chilly option as we will be in the 30s. Clouds will persist most of the day with an afternoon high temperatures of 45 degrees. Expect many courses to be cart path only tomorrow due to the excessive rain we have seen the last week. Also, be prepared to deal with some wind on the course with gusts up to 30mph. Those aren’t the most ideal conditions for golfing, but they are the best we will have all week. -Greg

Posted under event, First Look, rain, Wind

  Another round of overnight snow is tracking toward the Stateline. The timing of this next snow event could cause some issues on the roadways in the morning. Road crews will be out in full force all night to help keep the streets clean, but with snowfall rates of up to 1-2″ per hour expected during parts of the night, it will be difficult to keep all roads clear. As we head into the morning, it will still be snowing and the wind will be in full force. This means that visibilities will be low, blowing and drifing snow is possible, and many roads will be snow covered. Exercise caution as you head out in the morning to help ensure that your Friday won’t start off with a bang.. literally! Stay Safe! -Greg

Posted under event, snow, travel, winter weather

Our sky has been cloud filled and will lead way to sunshine by the day’s end, but it is a far different story down to our southwest. A low pressure system is tracking through Texas and Oklahoma bringing snow to many unlikely areas. Snowfall totals as high as 7″ were reported as of 9am this morning, with additional snowfall expected by this evening. This system, as many have this winter, will slide to our south and miss us. -Greg

Posted under event, snow, winter weather

The New England states are bracing themselves for an incoming winter storm that could bring as much as 2ft of snowfall by the end of the weekend. These hefty anticipated totals are due to the amount of energy the storm system will have. As we speak, two low pressure systems are on a collision course for one another. The system that brought us our rain/sleet/snow mixture yesterday is headed toward the East Coast and will meet up with an even stronger area of low pressure barrelling through the Carolinas toward the same location. This second stronger system will absorb the energy of the system that impacted us allowing for aggressive snowfall between now and Sunday. Cities like Boston are bracing for what could be the worst snow storm of the year, and a storm for the record books if predicted snowfall totals are met. -Greg

Posted under event, snow, winter storm, winter weather

Tonight into tomorrow will be another active weather period here across the Stateline. The timing and positioning of this system make it very tricky. A combination of freezing rain/sleet/snow is likely after midnight with the best chance for accumulating snow taking place in South Eastern Wisconsin. That being said, we are right on the boundary layer between all rain and all snow meaning that it could be a matter of just a few miles between locations that see snow and others that only see rain. This wintry mix will make for a tough commute in the morning with icy roads and snow covered roads definitely possible. A rough estimate for snowfall totals in the Rockford area look to be between 1-3 inches with heavier amounts in isolated areas. Be sure to stay tuned as we get a better handle on the system as it tracks toward us this afternoon. -Greg

Posted under event, rain, snow, winter weather

Late last night fire crews battled a massive 5 alarm fire on Chicago’s South Side in the Bridgeport neighborhood. The blaze was so large and so intense that it emitted huge amounts of smoke as firefighters tried to calm the flames. The amount of smoke was so extensive that due to our precipitation free night, doppler radar readings were able to pick up the smoke plume and showed where the smoke was being blown (over Lake Michigan due to a westerly breeze). This isn’t the first time that non-weather related things have been picked up by radar. Others include wind turbines on a calm clear night, and even migrating birds! -Greg

Posted under event, First Look

This morning Rockford saw a low temperature of -3° making this the first time the Fahrenheit dipped below zero since back in the early part of 2011. The last time we saw negative temepratures came on the morning of Feb. 10, 2011, which was one day after the last time we saw single digits highs until today. That cold stretch was equally as impressive as our current cold blast. The overnight low on Feb. 10th dropped down to -20° and the high the previous day was only up to 9°!

Posted under cold blast, event, winter weather

Today our temperatures will remain in the low single digits and thanks to the wind it will feel like it is between -15° and -22° all day long. Tonight brings us our first negative temperatures in nearly two years, and we still aren’t the ones seeing the worst of the cold blast. This morning, the wind chill in the Twin Cities sunk down to -31° and is expected to get as low as -40°! Their actual tempearatures will remain in the negative for the next 24 hours. Winter sure took her time, but she is here with a vengeance, at least for now. A return to the 20s is in our future by as soon as Wednesday. -Greg

Posted under cold blast, event, winter weather

It has been an active 72 hours in the Southeast with many rounds of heavy rain and sleet impacting the area. Rainfall totals have surmassed 7 inches in parts of Tennessee and North Carolina, and now these same areas have to brace themselves for some considerable snowfall. By tomorrow morning, many of the places that have already seen flooding and road closures could see as much as a foot of snow as temperatures cool and turn the rain into powder. We have yet to see any significant snow, and yet another snow storm misses us and gives some unlikely folks a healthy dose of snow. -Greg

Posted under event, First Look, snow, winter storm, winter weather