Foggy, rain chances on the rise, mild weekend ahead

Happy Thursday everyone! Hopefully you all had a fantastic Christmas holiday and are still able to have the next few days to relax before it’s back to business as usual!

Speaking of business as usual, the clouds continue to hang around our area this morning, and it isn’t just the clouds, but the fog as well! Many locations closer to the northern Iowa border and across northern Iowa are seeing significantly reduced visibilities, and this may be the case through most of the day for some locations across our area.

With temperatures near freezing or below freezing, fog may freeze to the ground, resulting in a glaze of ice. This will lead to some slick spots on the roads this morning, so be mindful of these slick spots if hitting the roads.

Highs will be in the upper 30F’s for most, so slightly warmer than yesterday, with wind chills in the low 30F’s. Winds remain light out of the south/southeast, helping to keep the air stagnant and increase the fog potential.

Rain potential remains on the lower end through today, but increases as we progress through the evening and overnight hours Thursday night. Lows will only drop into the mid 30F’s, keeping precipitation in liquid form. Highs climb into the lower 40F’s for Friday, with rain becoming more likely as the day progresses. Rain remains likely through Friday night, exiting the area by Saturday morning.

The rest of the weekend looks quiet, with highs remaining in the low to mid 40F’s both Saturday and Sunday. Could see some partial clearing Sunday, but I would not get my hopes too high on that chance.

We will be tracking another storm system early next week, which may bring a mix of rain and snow to our area Tuesday into Tuesday night. Plenty of uncertainty remains in the model guidance, with some models showing the system staying well to our south, with other guidance showing it getting much closer. Something to watch during the coming days!

One thing is for sure though, temperatures dip as we enter the New Year, with highs in the teens and 20F’s by the end of next week. It’s only a matter of time before true winter kicks back in, and we need to break out the heavy winter coat, gloves and hats once again.