Sunny skies, dry weather to continue

Local rain gauges have been rather unusable in September as Thursday marked the Stateline's 17th day without measurable precipitation.

In fact, Rockford's monthly rainfall total sits at a trace, which is tied for the driest September on record. Expect this dry spell to carry on for another day or two before changes arrive this weekend. 

Today and Thursday will be days where you'll need to manually water your plants and grass. The best times would be before midday and towards the evening commute as the "cooler" temperatures makes it easier for the water to be absorbed. 

 In a similar fashion to Tuesday, skies will be dry with afternoon highs peaking in the upper 80s. Overnight, a weak storm system will slowly glide across the Upper Great Plains, allowing a batch of clouds to roam overhead. This will turn skies partly cloudy for tonight and also for much of the day tomorrow. The associated cold front is scheduled to come through sometime Thursday night and could bring with it our next chance for rain. Scattered showers and will be a possibility, which may last into early Friday morning. The rest of Friday is similar to what we encountered earlier in the week: upper 80s with a partly cloudy sky.

Saturday remains dry with highs in the middle 80s, though significant changes are to follow. Forecast models show an area of low pressure developing over the central plains. As this low lifts northeastward, it will bring a somewhat stronger cold front through the area sometime Sunday. Ahead of it will be a swath of rich moisture which may allow slightly higher rain chances to arrive for early next week. Temperatures will also take a hit, dropping into the 70s.