Dense fog is affecting parts of the Quad Cities this morning thanks to clear skies, light winds, and leftover moisture from yesterday's light rain event. This fog will quickly burn off by mid-morning with areas of sunshine breaking out through the early afternoon.
By this evening a cold front will be approaching our area from the northwest with a few scattered showers and thunderstorms developing after 4pm. No severe weather is currently expected, but some good downpours and occasional lightning will be likely. A much stronger system is bypassing us to the south today, keeping heavy rain confined to the Tenessee Valley region.
Meanwhile, this weekend will feature another potent storm system rolling through the Midwest with an area of low pressure expected to bring widespread rains to the Quad Cities for the first part of the weekend. As this storm taps into some cooler temperatures to the north, a transition to all snow is likely for parts of southern Wisconsin and even extreme northern Illinois by Saturday evening.
The mix could extend as far south as the US20 corridor while the area of low pressure moves directly overhead dragging the cooler air with it. Here in the Quad City metro, I'm expecting the precipitation to remain all liquid, but just an hours drive to the north will be a different story by Saturday night.
Some slushy accumulation will be likely north of the Illinois/Wisconsin border where a few inches of heavy, wet, snow is looking likely. The combination of this new snow and heavy rain could certainly impact local rivers, including the Mississippi River which will be cresting this weekend.
More heavy rain potential is still in the cards for much of next week with near-daily chances for showers and thunderstorms. We're tracking the potential for up to 1 to 2 inches of additional rains that will continue to impact many rivers and streams locally. Be prepared for rapid rises in water levels.
Meteorologist Andrew Stutzke
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