From summer to winter: 3 seasons across Great Lakes region Thursday

We've got three seasons across the Great Lakes Thursday, Oct. 22 -- from summer to winter we have it all. Snow accumulations by Friday morning, Oct. 23 near Lake Superior could approach 6" in spots and temps in the mid-70s for central Illinois. 

The reason why is a low moving into Iowa is lifting warm are from the south but cold air is still present over the northern half of the state resulting in widespread snow potential. As for southeast Wisconsin, we're just stuck in the middle with dreary rain helping us make up for what has been a dry fall so far. 

The different seasons across the region 10/22/20

Another amazing feature of this low-pressure system is the sharp temperature gradients. Between St. Louis and Duluth there's a good 45°F difference but even a sharper divide between Kansas City and Sioux Falls.

This is not unheard of and is actually quite common during the transitional periods of the year like fall and spring. The closer we get to winter the more frequent and drastic these transition zones can be.