Feb 07 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

We got a little break from winter this week, as average temperatures ranged from the low 30s in northern Illinosi to the mid-40s in southern Illinois, between 5 and 12 degrees above average. Monday brought spring-like temperatures across the state, and several places broke the 70-degree mark, including 76 degrees in Jerseyville and 70 in Charleston. In Jerseyville specifically, Monday was the earliest occurrence of a high temperature 75 degrees or higher on record, going back to the 1940s. But, the warmth was fleeting as most of the state was back in the 20s and 30s by the end of the week.

Two storm systems moved through the region this week, the first bringing 1 to 2 inches of mixed precipitation to much of northern Illinois, and the second bringing more rain to the already soaked southern third of the state. 7-day totals exceeded 2.5 inches in the south-seven counties, which remains the only part of the state that has been wetter than normal so far in winter.

Looking ahead, we’re going to continue to see colder weather with an active stormtrack in the southern part of the state this upcoming week. High temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s all week, with multiple chances of mixed forms of precipitation, including the chance of freezing rain this weekend and the potential for snowfall in the middle of next week. There is still a lot of uncertainty as to the location of snowfall and totals, but it does look like the southern half of Illinois has a better chance to see significant accumulation than northern Illinois. The highest risk of heavy rain continues to stay to our south, as parts of Kentucky and Tennessee experience isolated flooding concerns. Farther out, the outlooks for the middle to late parts of February continue to show best chances of colder and wetter than normal weather statewide.