Your Halloween Photos

Despite the rain on Halloween, we received some great photos of the Stateline celebrating this spooky holiday. Check them out below and remember... you can send your own photos to weather@wtvo.com. Happy Halloween!

Soggy Weather Coming To An End

The Stateline has seen a LOT of rain the last two days. Take a look at some of the rain totals coming in from Wednesday and Thursday.

Here's a look at some other reports we've received from our Weather Watchers and the National Weather Service:

NWS: Morrison (Whiteside) - 1.45"
Paul Rimsa: Belvidere - 1.57"
Bob Ellison: Rockford - 1.75"

If you have any rain totals or other weather reports, we'd love to hear from you! You can e-mail us at weather@wtvo.com.

Thursday afternoon weather update

The rain continues to fall this afternoon and with areas south of Rockford receiving over an inch from what came down Wednesday evening, two day rainfall totals will top two inches! 

Strong winds within the jet stream moving into western Illinois will help to sustain enough lift within the atmosphere to keep the rain going for the next several hours.  At 1pm the cold front is just crossing over the Mississippi River and temperatures are beginning to drop behind the front with Galena now only at 48°.  Ahead of the front temperatures remain in the low 60s.  The cold front will reach Rockford between 3pm and 5pm with temperatures quickly falling once the front passes.  The front is expected to clear the entire area after 8pm.  Unfortunately, it does look like the steady rain will continue through at least 5pm/6pm.

Trick-or-treat forecast

Poplar Grove, IL



Sycamore, IL




Davis Junction, IL



Pecatonica, IL



Rochelle, IL



Oregon, IL




Byron, IL



Winnebago, IL



Cherry Valley, IL



Roscoe, IL

Machesney Park, IL



Rockton, IL




Dixon, IL



Freeport, IL



Rockford, IL



Beloit, WI



Loves Park, IL





 

Janesville, WI

Thursday morning weather update

9:48am Radar Update: A band of heavier rain continues to moves through northern Illinois.  Heavy downpours and reduced visibility can be expected as the rain moves through.  Additional showers moving in towards the Quad Cities.









Heavier rain Wednesday evening brought over an inch of rain for some cities in northern Illinois.  Additional light showers will continue for the next hour or two with a brief break in the rain mid-morning.  The break won't last, however, as the main system currently in the Oklahoma panhandle lifts northeast into Iowa by early afternoon.  This will help with the redevelopment of rain and even thunderstorms later today.

Rain in Missouri will move along the cold front later today with another inch or so of rain falling by tonight.

The Science of Fog

So what was up with this morning's fog? It turns out that we have some unexpected drizzle to blame. Here's what happened:

Early this morning, the Stateline was dealing with cool, dry air at the surface. As some drizzle moved into the area, it evaporated, causing the surface humidity to start building. When the humidity finally hit 100% around 4:00 or 5:00 this morning, a LOT of fog formed. In the weather world, we call this evaporation (or frontal) fog.

Fog can form in a variety of ways, which is why it can be difficult to forecast from time to time. If you'd like to learn more about the different kinds of fog out there, the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Kentucky wrote a great article that you can find here. -BA

Afternoon Weather Update

It's been an active weather day across the Stateline and with the threat of rain moving closer, we're only just beginning.

Visibilities: Wednesday at Noon

As of noon, Green County in Wisconsin was the only part of the Stateline still under a Dense Fog Advisory, but visibilities are still limited areawide. Expect conditions to gradually improve through the afternoon.




As for our showers and storms, everything is still in Iowa and central Illinois. Here's the current timeline for afternoon rain chances.

3:00pm: Western & southern sounties (Jo Daviess, Carroll, Whiteside, Lee)
4:00-5:00pm: Northern Illinois & southern Wisconsin

Trick-or-Treat times city by city and Halloween forecast

The outlook for Thursday is unfortunately looking fairly damp.  A very strong storm system moving east into the central Plains will help lift a warm front through the area this afternoon and evening.  Moisture streaming in several thousand feet above has helped keep the fog in the place and the warm front will allow the surface moisture to increase and cause the showers and embedded thunderstorms in Iowa to expand further east this afternoon and evening. 

Rainfall through Friday morning

Showers and thunderstorms will become more numerous and widespread tonight with the enhancement of the low level jet and strong winds aloft.  Thursday morning will start of rainy and stormy with a brief break possible mid to late morning.  As the cold front approaches during the afternoon a second low pressure system developing along the front may help ignite additional showers and storms during the late afternoon and early evening.  All the rainfall should end once the front passes late Thursday evening.  Areas that may be hit with the highest rainfall totals will be a line from Kenosha, Wisconsin southwest to Freeport and Savanna.  There totals could exceed an inch.  Earlier trick-or-treating hours may be a little more troublesome than the later hours.

Here are your trick-or-treat time:

Belvidere:
4pm-8pm

Rockford:
5:30pm-7:30pm

Freeport:
4pm-7pm

Loves Park:
5:30pm-7:30pm

Machesney Park:
5:30pm-7:30pm

Rockton:5pm-8pm

Roscoe:
5:30pm-7:30pm

Cherry Valley:
5:30pm-7:30pm

Winnebago:
5pm-8pm

Byron:5pm-8pm

Oregon:5pm-8pm

Rochelle:5pm-8pm

Pecatonica:5pm-7pm

Davis Junction:
5pm-7pm

Dixon:
5pm-7:30pm

Poplar Grove:4pm-7pm

Sycamore:
4pm-8pm

South Beloit:
4pm-7pm

Beloit:
5pm-7pm

Janesville:
5:30pm-7:30pm

Very foggy Wednesday morning



Update: Dense Fog Advisory now in effect for the entire Stateline area - southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

A Dense Fog Advisory has been issued for Winnebago, Boone, Ogle, Lee and DeKalb counties until 11am this morning.  Dense fog has developed across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with the visibility dropping to near zero in many locations.  The fog will continue through mid-morning with the rain threat increasing through the afternoon and evening.

Stormy Weather Ahead

You don't usually think of thunderstorms in late October, but that's exactly what we're looking at as we inch closer to Halloween.

These maps show the areas that have the best chances for thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday. For the Stateline, our timeline for possible storms will be Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon.

As of Tuesday night, the forecast is calling for a likely chance of rain and some storms during the morning and afternoon, with rain chances moving out sometime in the evening. Hopefully, the rain moves out early enough so it doesn't have a major impact on trick or treating. Stay tuned for more updates as we get them! -BA

Tricks and Treats in the Halloween Forecast

The most important forecast this week will be the one for Halloween. Right now it looks like we'll see a trick and a treat from Mother Nature.

First, the trick. Rain looks likely for Thursday and could make for some soggy ghouls and goblins. The treat? Highs should creep into the 60s, even with the rain. Another potential treat? It appears as though the models are trying to speed this system up, meaning we could dry out by Thursday evening and prime candy collection time. We'll continue to monitor the rain situation and give you updates through the week! -BA

One of the worst storms to hit England since the Great Storm, According to Reuters

Photo by BBC

Sunday night the United Kingdom was hit with one of the worst storms since October of  1987 when the Great Storm hit.  Wind speeds got as high as 70+ mph with heavy rain.  Four people died in Britain by falling trees due to high winds. 600,000 homes are left without power. The picture on the left was an explosion that happened in Housnlow, west London caused by a tree that fell on a gas main, killing two people inside the house.

Photo from metoffice.gov.uk

  

Conditions stay calm for the UK as we see in this satellite imagery with scattered clouds.

World Series Forecast - Game 5

Hey baseball fans! Hope you're ready for game 5 of the World Series, because the weather couldn't be much better for Monday night's game in St. Louis between the Red Sox and the Cardinals.

Temperatures at first pitch (7:07pm CST) will be in the low 60s with partly cloudy skies and light easterly winds. Temps will only dip into the mid 50s by the end of the game.

Just a reminder that we'll carry the game on FOX with Eyewitness News airing after the game. -BA

Warmer Air to Come

Today was our 11th straight day with below average temps, but that streak will come to an end as we approach Halloween.  On Sunday night, temps over the Central Plains were nearly 10° warmer than the same time on Saturday.  Since weather patterns move from west to east in our part of the world, we will be tapping into the warm up for the last week of October.

Sunday Night 24-Hour Temp Change

However, it's going to take a few days before we approach 60° once again.  That's because of a dry cold front that sweeps through the Stateline overnight Sunday into Monday.  This will cause winds to blow in from Canada bringing cool air with it.  However, by midweek, expect winds to shift from the southeast ushering in more warmth and moisture as well.  Temps will be in the upper 50s by Wednesday and may break 60° by Halloween. - MT

Halloween Forecast: First Look

Mother Nature may be giving us more of a trick than treat on Halloween.  While some towns around the area will be holding their trick-or-treating hours early, most will celebrate on Thursday - and the forecast isn't looking all that great.

Rain, possibly heavy, will be likely during the afternoon and evening ahead of a cold front Thursday.  The front will be out of here early Friday morning taking the majority of rainfall with it, but not before dropping nearly an inch or two of rain.  If you know of any Halloween festivities going on Sunday, I would suggest heading out to those.  This way you can show off that cute Halloween costume and the kids can still get some candy.

Heavy rainfall possible midweek

The remainder of the weekend will stay quiet.  Temperatures will start off cool Sunday morning but a southwest wind will boost afternoon highs back into the low to middle 50s.  Very strong high pressure will move into the Great Lakes Sunday night pushing a weak cold front through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois Monday morning.  Winds will turn more northeast Monday and Tuesday keeping temperatures a little cooler than Sunday's readings. 

Meanwhile, low pressure will begin to develop in the central Plains pulling a warm front through Wednesday.  A combination of southerly winds from high pressure and the low in the Plains will bring a decent amount of Gulf moisture northward Wednesday and Thursday.  A few upper level disturbances riding along the warm front could cause a couple light showers Tuesday, but the biggest threat for rain will arrive late Wednesday and Thursday.  Rainfall amounts of 1"-2" could be possible by the time the system moves into the Northeast Friday afternoon.  Unfortunately, it does look like Halloween will be rainy, and possibly stormy, if enough instability develops in the atmosphere. 

Fall Colors Update

With the weekend forecast looking a lot more conducive to outdoor plans, this might be one of your last chances to catch the Stateline's changing fall colors.

It looks as though this week's winter-like weather has put many areas in northern Illinois past their peak for fall colors. Southern Wisconsin, however, is currently in its peak for fall foliage. Our recommendation? Head north this weekend and enjoy the view!

High School Football Forecast: Week 9

It's the last week of the regular season for high school football! Week 9 will be a breezy and chilly one, so bundle up if you're heading out this evening. Here's the official football forecast:

KICKOFF: Partly cloudy and breezy. Temps in the mid 40s.

HALFTIME: Partly cloudy and breezy. Temps in the low to mid 40s.

END OF GAME: Partly cloudy and breezy. Temps in the low 40s.

Don't forget, our game of the week is Stillman Valley at Winnebago. We'll be live at the game with your weekend forecast starting at 5:00pm on Eyewitness News! -BA