Winter Storm in Forecast, 5″+ Snow and Artic Blast for Illinois and Wisconsin

A powerful Arctic cold front will drive temperatures in Illinois and Wisconsin well below zero this week, along with another snow event that could drop several inches over the area.

Rockford Set for Record Cold This Week

According to the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service, even the high temperature will be below zero this week.

Highs will be in the upper teens on Tuesday (1/20) across the Rockford region and Chicagoland, but wind chills will be as low as -12.. Temps will rise on Tuesday night into the mid 20s, and that's the warmest it will be until next week.

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Wednesday will be 26, Thursday's high will be near 16, and the high temperature on Friday (1/23) is expected to be 4 degrees below zero. Friday night and Saturday night, overnight lows will be -10 to-15.

A Couple of Snow Events in Forecast

Current forecasts are predicting snow moving into the Rockford region late on Tuesday night into Wednesday (1/21), with accumulating snow showers likely through the night.

The National Weather Service is predicting 1 to 2 inches for Rockford, while the Weather Channel says 3 to 5 inches of snow is possible late Tuesday night and Wednesday.

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Accuweather predicts an inch or two in Rockford early Wednesday morning (1/21), and a "coating to an inch" of snow on Wednesday night.

When Do We Break Out of Arctic Cold Temps?

Prepare to layer up until February, if the current forecast predictions hold, because it could be weeks until we get above the freezing mark.

The latest extended forecast from the Weather Channel doesn't show a high temperature above 30 degrees until after February 2.