Temperatures soar with incoming rain Thursday evening

 

Temperatures struggled to warm much beyond the 30s for many across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin Wednesday, mainly due to the thick fog and low clouds that stuck around for most of the morning. It wasn't until the afternoon when both the fog and clouds started to depart, giving temperatures a late start on their warming. There were some spots, mainly west and southwest of Rockford, that were able to warm into the mid-40s but north of that most stayed in the 30s. Rockford's high will officially go down in the record books at 39 degrees.

We'll maintain the mostly clear sky through most of the evening although you'll still notice some haze in place with lingering low-level moisture. Temperatures in the low to mid 30s won't drop off too much tonight, but we could see numbers briefly fall to around 32 or 33 degrees before Midnight. After that, temperatures will hold steady heading into Thursday morning.

Dry, but cloudy, start to Thursday:

Clouds will be on the increase Thursday morning, but it will be dry. Temperatures in the 30s will quickly warm into the 40s by the afternoon as southerly winds start to increase. Rain is expected to move in as early as 11am/12pm, moving in from the southwest and lifting northeast throughout the afternoon. A steady, and at times heavy, rain will occur through the evening. And while it's only an isolated chance there could also be a roll of thunder or two, especially late in the afternoon or evening, as the low-level jet increases and warm front approach from the south. Any threat for more widespread thunder - or even severe weather - will remain further south and southeast. Areawide we should see rainfall totals between half an inch to three quarters of an inch, but there could be a few locations that approach one inch. Especially in areas where the heavier rain occurs.

Warmth continues briefly into Thursday night:

Temperatures will continue to warm as the clock approaches Midnight, possibly rising into the upper 50s! The record high temperature for January 8th is 55 degrees set back in 1965. The record high for the 9th of January is 56 degrees set back in 2002. It's possible that we reach the record high for the 8th just before Midnight, and then the record high for the 9th right at Midnight! A wind shift to the north, however, will bring temperatures down into the 30s Friday morning. So, it won't feel very warm when you wake up in the morning. Afternoon temperatures are likely to remain in the 40s during the afternoon under mostly cloudy skies.

Saturday snowfall:

System number two will take more of a southerly track Saturday but still give us the potential for some accumulating snowfall through the afternoon and evening. After a break in precipitation Friday, we may start off the day Saturday with a brief period of a wintry mix. But as cold air quickly fills in behind the low any mixed precipitation will transition over to all snow. While right now this system doesn't have the characteristics to bring us a major snowfall, it is still several days out and will continue to be monitored through the week. It does look like we could see some minor accumulations through Saturday evening, and with a northwest wind picking up any snow that does come down would blow around and cause issues with visibility through Sunday morning. Temperatures through the weekend will remain in the 30s.