
ACTIVE PATTERN SETTING UP FIRST HALF OF FEBRUARY
Feb 1
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FEBRUARY 1, 2025 -- January 2025 ended up 4.6-degrees BELOW NORMAL despite very mild weather to end the month. February will begin where January ended, as the overall pattern will support very mild weather for much of the first week of the month.
An impressive upper-level ridge over the central U.S. will bring several days with temperatures in the 60s beginning on Sunday and continuing into the upcoming week. By midweek, a disturbance expected to track from the Plains into the Great Lakes will begin to break down the pattern. This disturbance, and the associated cold front, is still about five days away from the time of this blog post, so there are some discrepancies in timing and what to expect in our region.

Of course, any time it's extremely warm in the winter, we know in Southern Illinois that there could potentially be a risk for severe storms looming. I'm already seeing some discussion of potential severe storms mid to late week on social media. At this point, it's too early to know exactly how this scenario will play out. That being said, there is a lot of warm, humid air available, so right now, I'm keeping a close eye on Wednesday and Thursday.
Another system will sweep through the region next Saturday with more wet weather. The pattern looks to be very active through the middle of February, bringing above average precipitation. While the initial concern is for thunderstorms the first week of the month, there are some hints at more winter weather towards the middle of the month as colder weather returns.

In the meantime, enjoy the early taste of Spring! Keep your eyes peeled for daffodils beginning to poke up out of the ground through the first week of February. If you're near a pond or marshy area, you may even hear the "Spring Peepers" beginning to chirp. Winter still has time to go, but I always love seeing the first signs of Spring appear.