Dry skies continue through Thursday

 

Plenty of sunshine Tuesday afternoon helped warm temperatures into the upper 80s, with Rockford's high reaching 88 degrees! This is the 9th day in a row that Rockford has reached 80 degrees, or higher, and that number will continue to grow through the end of the week.

What's even more impressive is the warmth was achieved after mornings lows fell to 51 degrees! That's a 37-degree climb. This large range in temperatures was aided by the sun-filled skies and extremely dry air mass as afternoon dew point temperatures were in the 40s for most.

The drier air mass Tuesday night will allow temperatures to fall back into the low 50s, warming back into the upper 80s Wednesday afternoon. The dry weather will last through most of Thursday, with just a small chance of precipitation returning late Thursday night/Friday morning.

A return of higher moisture (higher dew point temperatures) will be in place Thursday ahead of a cold front. This front will pass through the region early Friday morning. A little bit of instability during that time may allow for an isolated rumble of thunder or two around sunrise, with drier conditions expected as the front passes during the afternoon and evening. Despite the wind shift to the northwest Friday afternoon, highs will still warm into the mid-80s.

A small ridge of high pressure will briefly move back in Saturday allowing skies to dry out while we hold on to some cloud cover for the afternoon. Highs will warm into the mid-80s. A better chance for rain returns Sunday with the arrival of another storm system. Low pressure moving in early next week will likely bring high temperatures back down into the 70s, but remaining above average for September, with a slightly better chance for precipitation heading into next week.