Changes are on the way, especially this weekend into next week

The first of two cold fronts is scheduled to slide across the region this morning. This will be the start of what is to become a long-lived cooling process that will stretch into the end of August. Now, there isn't much to this cold front, which is why rain chances this morning are extremely low. 

Clouds will decrease following the passage of this cold front, leaving us with a mix of clouds and sun for this afternoon and for those heading to Food Truck Tuesday. Temperatures will end up just above seasonable-levels, around 83°. The one thing you will notice is humidity levels won't change much as dew point temperatures are expected to stay in the upper 60s and low 70s. Temperatures overnight won't be as warm as this morning, landing in the low 60s under partly cloudy skies. 

Not much is happening the rest of the week as strong ridging to the west leave the more active portion of the jet in the Upper Great Plains.  

Aside from a very isolated shower Wednesday, the rest of the work week will end up dry, with afternoon highs peaking in the upper 70s and low 80s. Over the weekend and into next week, even bigger changes are expected to filter in behind a stronger cold front. 

In their latest round of temperature outlooks, the Climate Prediction Center has a high probability of below-average temperatures for much of the Great Lakes. Forecast models still differ on the timing of this cold front, though we can expect afternoon highs to wind up in the upper 70s Saturday. 

Then, it's all downhill from there as temperatures will be restricted to the low 70s Sunday and Monday. When does Rockford see average highs in the low 70s again? Not until late September!