Unseasonably Warm Thursday, Cooler Friday

Before we jump into the forecast, I just want to ask a simple question. What month is it again? Highs for the 4th straight day in a row topped over the 50° mark. And if you haven't heard, a record did fall on Christmas Day. Yesterday now ranks as the warmest Christmas on record for the Rockford area as highs ended up just short of 60°. 59° was the official high yesterday which topples the old record of 58° that was set back in 1982. The same can be expected for today. Both the unseasonably warm temperatures, and a record being broken. Temperatures this morning were already 30° above average for Rockford. That should give you a good idea on how the rest of the day is going to shape up. Thursday's forecast features a mix of clouds and sunshine with highs climbing once again to nearly 30° above average. The record for today, which is 52° set back in 1910, will be shattered later on as highs climb back into the upper 50s.

It may feel little bit breezy throughout the day as winds ramp up ahead of an approaching cold front. Gusty southwesterly winds could gust as high as 20 to 25 mph at times. Back to this upcoming cold front. It's a slow mover, but it is currently sitting to the west of the region. This boundary is set to push through the Stateline late this evening.  Ahead of it, warmer temperatures and higher dew points are getting pulled into the Stateline area. If you are enjoying the great outdoors and think it feels damp, you aren't imagining things. Dew points are in the lower to middle 40s, which is pretty impressive for late-December. The cold front will knock down our low temperatures for tonight into the upper 20s, and our highs for Friday back into the lower 40s. A much cooler end to the work week, but temperatures will still end up 10 degrees above average. An area of high pressure moves in behind the cold front for tomorrow which will bring a dry end to the work week. Rain holds off, but a system which is currently just coming ashore in California ushers in a bit more cloud cover by late Friday.