Nice Start to Work Week

A strong low pressure storm system is moving off to the east. Although there was potential for some locally heavy rainfall amounts with this system, heavy rain failed to materialize for northern Illinois.  The Rockford airport received 0.83" of rain during the past 2 days.  That is a good rain but not nearly enough considering the extreme drought that continues across the Stateline.  Heavier rains occurred well to the north of Madison, Wisconsin where parts of Green Lake county got 3.90" of rain.  Areas of heavy rain also were reported over a large part of eastern Iowa.  It will be windy early tonight because of the tight pressure gradient associated with the intense low. The wind will be northwesterly at 15-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph early tonight. The wind will slowly decrease an be in the 10-15 mph range later tonight. Skies will become mostly clear, and it will turn much cooler overnight with a low near 39 degrees. On Monday it will be mostly sunny with high pressure in control. Northwest winds will continue under mostly sunny skies at 10 to 15 mph. It will be a little on the cool side with a high in the upper 50's.  On Monday night it will be partly cloudy with a seasonal low in the low 40's.  On Tuesday high pressure will move from eastern Kentucky to eastern North Carolina.  A brisk southwesterly breeze will develop, and temperatures will respond by rising back into the low 70's under mostly sunny skies.  The southwesterly winds will continue on Tuesday night preventing the temperatures from falling any lower than  the low 50's.  A strong southwesterly breeze will pull gulf moisture northward into the mid west ahead of a cool front on Wednesday.  Showers will develop, and there could be some thunderstorms under mostly cloudy skies.  It will be warm with a high in the upper 60's.  Showers and thunderstorms will be likely early on Wednesday night before the passage of the cold front. Chances of showers will continue over night with with a strong westerly wind developing. Intense low pressure over Wisconsin with cold air aloft could cause some scattered showers on Thursday.  The closed upper low will settle into central Illinois on Friday.  It will be mostly cloudy and cool with scattered  rain showers.  The high on Friday will be around 53 chilly degrees.  On Saturday the upper low will shift off to the northeast, but the air will still be unstable, and there could be some widely scattered light rain showers.  Skies will become partly cloudy, and the high will be in the middle 50's.  It will be partly sunny and warmer on Sunday with a high back into the low 60's.