Dry Skies Continue through Friday Night

Heavy rain and thunderstorms came down late Tuesday night but our skies were quick to clear Wednesday and Thursday, leaving us with nothing but sunshine and warm temperatures. A brief break from the humidity Thursday afternoon will be followed by a gradual rise in dew point temperatures by the weekend.

The increase in moisture could also lead to an increase in rain and storm potential, but the overall outlook for rain is fairly low through the next several days. Since June 1st the Rockford Airport has recorded almost 4.3 inches of precipitation, a deficit of 1.76 inches. So far July has been a dry month with a little over one inch of rain coming down during the first week and a half. With the forecast calling for limited rain chances heading into the weekend, the deficit will likely grow and could become a slight concern to farmers, especially as the temperature warms next week.

Along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana Tropical Storm Barry is expected to make landfall this weekend bringing nearly 10 (plus) inches of rainfall to parts of southern Louisiana. The remnants of Barry are expected to lift north through the mid-Mississippi River Valley and then into the Ohio Valley by early next week. Cloud cover may become a factor early next week but it doesn't look like the moisture from Barry will have too much of an influence on our weather locally next week.