First rain chance in over two weeks on the way

 For the first time in 2 weeks, we have rain on the way! It has been a very dry few weeks in the Stateline, as Rockford's last measurable rainfall was the 21st of September. Rain chances are set to return with at least scattered showers along a sharp cold front Monday.

Much of the first half of Monday will likely end up dry. Some locations may end up dry through 2-3PM, but generally we will start seeing scattered rain by 12PM. But though mid-afternoon, scattered showers will continue to grow in coverage. A few isolated storms may be possible within the late-afternoon window as well.

Shower and isolated storms will continue into the early evening before we could see another relative lull in precipitation between about 5-10PM. After that, light rain with pockets of steady showers will spread over the area and last through much of the night. This time around, most everyone will see at least light rain as coverage of the activity will be higher. Rainfall should wind down toward 6-8AM Tuesday.

In total, most in the area can expect to receive between a quarter and half inch of rain. A few isolated spots may get above a half inch and possibly up to 3/4 inch. Unfortunately, this rain will not be much to put a dent in the growing drought conditions across the region.

This cold front will also bring a return to a fall-like pattern. High temperatures will still reach the upper 70s for most early Monday afternoon but will quickly fall toward the evening behind the cold front. Below is an example of how temperatures in Rockford may trend over the course of the day. Areas North and West may cool faster, while those South and East may hold onto the 70s a bit longer.

Afternoon highs will return to the 60s for a few days over the middle part of the week, with some chilly overnights Tuesday and Wednesday. Briefly we will return back toward average for this time of year, but things are quick to rebound by the end of the week, back to the