Much needed rainfall and thunderstorms Monday evening

"At least it's not snow".  That's what I've been hearing a lot with the heavy rain falling over Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.  I'm amazed at just how much moisture this system has been able to draw northward.  Rain totals have reached over an inch, with Monroe exceeding two inches!  Last batch of heavy rain is now hugging I-39, moving east.  But this heavy band could drop another quarter of an inch to a few tenths of an inch of rain before completely ending.  This would push

storm total rainfall amounts over an inch and a half in many spots!

Another impressive aspect with this storm have been the temperatures.  Temperatures have been on a slow rise since this afternoon, despite the heavy rainfall.  This is primarily due to the strong warm air inflow ahead of a strengthening low near La Crosse, WI.  Highs Monday were reached after dark, reaching 51 degrees at 5pm!  Drier air will bring down dew points slightly by Tuesday morning.  So I expect temperatures to drop into the low 40's by morning.