Average last 80 and 90 degree days for Rockford

 

After a several week break from summer heat, it returns in full force to round out the second week of September. Temperatures warmed into the upper 70s and low 80s for most across northern Illinois but stayed in the low 70s in southern Wisconsin thanks to thicker cloud cover. Low pressure moving through Wisconsin will depart Wednesday night leaving skies mostly clear through Thursday morning with temperatures in the low 50s.

Thursday should be our first 80-degree day for Rockford since mid-August! And the 80-degree warmth will continue straight through the weekend and into at least early next week. But within that stretch it's possible that a few locations could tag 90 degrees. Our last 90-degree day occurred back on the 9th of August.

Reaching 80-degrees during the month of September isn't all too uncommon as, on average, our last 80-degree day usually occurs within the first week of October. The earliest last 80-degree day was on September 10th back in 1996, and the latest occurred back in 1933 on November 1st. It's not atypical to get a stretch of 80-degree warmth during the month of September, but those stretches have become more frequent over the last 10 years. And according to Climate Central the summer heat is lasting longer. 

As the planet continues to warm our summer season is getting longer, extending into the fall season. Since 1970 the last 80-degree day for Rockford is occurring nine days later than when it did before 1970. An article from Climate Central highlights how this longer lasting heat can have negative impacts on not only our health but also causing our hottest summer days to become even hotter. Out of the four seasons winter is the fastest warming season, but the summer season is starting earlier and ending later, impacting both the spring and fall months; Likely a trend that continues as our climate warms.   

A strong ridge of high pressure will carry us through the weekend bringing afternoon temperatures into the upper 80s, possibly low 90s depending on any rain/thunder chances and lingering cloud cover. While the ridge may slowly begin to break down towards the middle to end of next week, longer range outlooks keep the above average warmth through the end of the month.