Windy and Blustery Sunday

The High Wind Warning is no longer in effect for Stateline, but winds are still gusting close to 45 mph and will continue to remain blustery through Midnight.  Peak wind gusts Sunday afternoon reached as high as 60 mph in Sycamore, with Rockford clocking a peak wind gust of 56 mph.

As low pressure pulls further away from the Great Lakes and high pressure settles further into the Plains, winds will gradually ease during the
night.  Wind gusts around Midnight will still be around 30 mph, falling to around 20 mph by sunrise Monday.

The strong winds Sunday were a result of the difference in pressure between a strong low pressure to the northeast and a strong high

pressure system to the northwest, leaving northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin in the middle.  The greater the difference in between between high pressure and low pressure, the stronger the wind will be.  A strong cold front also came through very early Sunday morning with quite a bit of cold air following.  The combination of the dense cold air, tight pressure gradient and strong winds within the jet stream were why the winds Sunday afternoon were so

strong.