Heavy Rainfall Possible Friday

Cloud cover will hold tight Wednesday evening as an upper level trough (dip in the jet stream) moves through the Upper Midwest. Light showers are showing up on radar, but most of those are not reaching the surface. That's because our air mass is pretty dry overhead. Any rain that does fall will likely evaporate before reaching the ground.

The cold front that passed early Wednesday morning will lift back north as a warm front Friday morning. A quick return of a very moisture-rich air mass will follow the warm front Friday morning and afternoon. Rain showers and thunderstorms will be likely mid-morning Friday, some of which could have heavy rainfall.

Showers and thunderstorms will then redevelop ahead of a cold front Friday evening. Depending on how much sunshine is able to break through the cloud cover during the afternoon, some of the storms during the evening could have some stronger wind gusts. Heavy rainfall will also be a threat through Friday night.

Rainfall totals could add up to another couple inches for some by Saturday morning. The flow

in the atmosphere will line up nearly parallel to the cold front Friday night, setting the stage for the possibility of heavy rain. The heaviest may occur south of Rockford, but areas throughout Whiteside, Ogle, Lee and DeKalb counties could stand to see another couple inches of rain.