Feb 14 | Climate Review and Weather Forecast

Average temperatures this week were a bit closer to normal than in the first week of the month, ranging from the low 20s in northern Illinois to the high 30s in southern Illinois. February to date has been 4 to 10 degrees above normal, following the 35th coldest January on record statewide. Temperatures did flip later in the week, with nighttime lows dipping into the single digits to below zero across the state early Friday morning. 

We had a bit more of an active weather week, with the entire state picking up at least a quarter of an inch of precipitation, and parts of southern Illinois getting another 1 to 1.5 inches. Precipitation this week came in all forms, including some heavier rain in southern Illinois, ice in south-central Illinois, and snow for most across the state. Snowfall totals this week ranged from around a half inch in the Carbondale area to nearly 10 inches around Freeport. Chicago recorded 3 inches of the white stuff on Wednesday and Thursday, nearly a third of their total winter season snowfall so far. The windy city has its lowest season to date snowfall since 2013, with about half of what they typically get this by this time of the year. 

Looking ahead, temperatures moderate a bit over the weekend as another storm system moves through the state. High temperatures will reach into the high 30s and 40s on Sunday, although mixed winter precipitation will make it more difficult to enjoy our brief warm up. Most of the northern two-thirds of the state is expected to see some snowfall accumulation on Saturday, up to around 4 inches in northwest Illinois. However, the combination of above freezing temperatures and rain will quickly remove any snowpack over the weekend. Temperatures bottom out in a big way early next week, with expected high temperatures in the single digits to low teens and low temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, and low temperatures in the single digits in southern Illinois and below 0 in central and northern Illinois. Farther out, our outlooks for the rest of the month continue to show best chances of below normal temperatures across the state. However, for the first time in a while, we also see stronger signs for a drier than normal end to February. This will probably be welcome news to the wetter areas of southern Illinois, but parts of northern and central Illinois are still running precipitation deficits going back to the fall. We’ll want to see some wetter weather to start spring to at least help recharge soil moisture.