Best Chance of Rain... Saturday

The statistics are in for July.  As you already know without looking at the numbers, that July was a hot and dry month.  July averaged 80.8 degrees at the Rockford Airport, which was 7.0 degrees above average.  Precipitation totaled 2.68", which was 1.27" below the average of 3.95".  Severe drought continues across the Stateline with a deficit of 7.35" for the year.  The  National Weather Service outlook for the month of August indicates more hot and and drier than normal conditions across northern Illinois.  There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms on Thursday as a cool front drops southward across Wisconsin.  It will stall out and decay north of the Stateline.  Temperatures will be topping out in the low 90's through Saturday.  There will be a better chance of showers and thunderstorms on Saturday as a stronger disturbance and cold front moves through the Stateline.  Early estimates of rainfall for the Saturday system range from half to three quarters of an inch.  Of course those are rough numbers, and with summertime thunderstorms, amounts tend to be quite variable as systems move through.