Mild Mission Accomplished Today, Prepare for Cold Offensive

QUINCY (WGEM) - Here’s what’s happening: A cold front is moving through today, and it’s going to completely flip the switch on our weather. Right now we’re sitting in mild air ahead of that front, which is why Veterans Day reaches the low 60s across the region. But as soon as that front passes this afternoon, everything changes.

That cold front is dragging arctic air down from the north—think of it like opening a freezer door and letting all that cold spill out. When it arrives, the winds will shift to the northwest, pulling in much colder air from Canada. This fresh cold air will keep moving south and east, and by Thursday morning we’ll wake up noticeably colder.

Friday becomes the real cold day because that’s when the deepest, freshest cold air arrives. Even though we’ll have sunshine (which normally warms things up), the cold air mass is so thick and fresh that the sun just won’t have the punch to warm things up. We’re looking at the mid-40s at best—it’s like trying to get a suntan in the middle of winter. The sun’s out, but it just doesn’t matter when you’ve got that much cold air overhead.

By Friday and Saturday nights, high pressure builds in right on top of us. That means clear skies, calm winds, and nothing to trap warmth near the ground. We’re dropping into the 20s those nights—it’s going to get downright cold and freezing. It’s actually perfect sleeping weather for a strong cold air mass.

The good news: that high pressure system sticks around through the weekend and into early next week, keeping things sunny and dry. No rain worries at all. And by Monday, the high pressure starts sliding east, allowing milder air to work back in from the south. We’ll start warming back up into the 50s.

Stay with us for updates as this pattern develops.