After a very foggy start (visibilities were down to zipola in the northern burbs this morning) the blanket of stratus is at least lifting. It will remain cloudy but temperatures will move well into the 40s except along the lake. The fog will likely reform overnight as calm winds and trapped low-level moisture due to recent snowmelt combine to bring the fog densities up again. Then we will watch as low pressure moves into the Midwest, spreading rain into Chicagoland starting by tomorrow night. This will be a recurring problem for several days, as impulses of low pressure trigger repeating rounds of wet weather right into the first half of the weekend. A green umbrella might be in order for the St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday! At least temperatures will be warm enough to ensure it will be only rain falling from the permargray. 50-degree plus highs will be possible inland starting tomorrow, but the influence of southest to east winds will mitigate the breadth of the warmup. I'm not overly concerned about flooing due to snowmelt and rainfall yet, but this will be closely watched along area rivers.
Mike
