Windy Afternoon

It's been a few days since we have seen the sun here in the Stateline. Winter paid a visit on Wednesday, and a cold front brought thunderstorms to the region yesterday.

As we take a look at our Mercyhealth skycam over downtown Rockford this morning, it's definitely a B-E-A-UTIFUL start to our Friday. Dry air aloft has allowed clouds to clear out for now! But, as we head into this afternoon, cloudy and windy conditions will return to the region!


Winds are going to pick up this afternoon, all because of a strong low pressure system located in southern Minnesota. As this low strengthened and deepened the past few days, it created a tight pressure gradient in the atmosphere. The tighter the pressure gradient is, the stronger the wind gusts will be throughout the area.
 
A Wind Advisory is now in effect for all our Northern Illinois counties until 8 PM this evening. We can expect wind gusts up near 45 mph this afternoon. Winds this strong could make driving difficult out there, especially during the evening commute.Any high profile vehicles should use extra caution while driving out on the roads today.

 
Timing out the winds today, winds will already be pushing 40 mph by 10 AM. By noontime, winds will ramp up close to 45 mph. And that's where they will stay for the rest of the afternoon. As we head into this evening, winds will lighten up a bit as the low pressure continues to exit the region. We can still expect windy conditions overnight tonight with decreasing clouds.