Thursday afternoon weather update

The rain continues to fall this afternoon and with areas south of Rockford receiving over an inch from what came down Wednesday evening, two day rainfall totals will top two inches! 

Strong winds within the jet stream moving into western Illinois will help to sustain enough lift within the atmosphere to keep the rain going for the next several hours.  At 1pm the cold front is just crossing over the Mississippi River and temperatures are beginning to drop behind the front with Galena now only at 48°.  Ahead of the front temperatures remain in the low 60s.  The cold front will reach Rockford between 3pm and 5pm with temperatures quickly falling once the front passes.  The front is expected to clear the entire area after 8pm.  Unfortunately, it does look like the steady rain will continue through at least 5pm/6pm.