Remaining Cloudy & Gloomy, Rain Chances into the Weekend

Yesterday, we saw the return of scattered showers during the afternoon, and then again overnight last night. Altogether, the Rockford International Airport observed .30" of rainfall. This is now the second highest daily rainfall during the month of April, second to the .39" of rain that was observed back on the 12th. Shower chances aren't completely over yet, as more rain and cool temperatures persist into the second half of the week.

Last night's shower activity did leave us with a good amount of cloud cover, and areas of patchy dense fog. So far this morning, the thicker areas of fog have been confined to locations north and west of Rockford. A few locations, such as Monroe, Freeport, and Galena, have observed visibility under a mile all morning. For those that are set to step out the door and travel, take a little bit of extra time getting to your destination. It is possible that the fog could linger into the mid-morning hours.

Despite this fog and cloud cover, most regions remain dry through noontime. Rain chances ramp up into the afternoon and evening, as a few spotty showers look to develop across the Stateline. Current thinking suggests around the 3-4 PM time frame, scattered showers will begin to pop up across the area. Fortunately, rain totals with these showers are going to remain fairly minimal. Along with the cloudy skies and scattered shower activity, today will feature cooler temperatures. Winds this afternoon will be dominate out of the northeast, which will limit highs for most locations to near the 60° mark.

More rain chances are in the forecast as we close in on the weekend, as rain is expected to move in during Friday afternoon. Due to the cloud cover and chances for more rain showers, temperatures for the end of the work week will end on a below average note. Highs, because of the lack of daytime heating, will only climb into the upper 50s. As a stronger system that originates over the southern plains, will track to the south of the Stateline by Saturday morning, allowing rain chances to persist through the overnight hours into early hours on Saturday. During this time frame, pockets of heavy rain are possible, along with a with the chance for a few rumbles of thunder. Once again, severe weather isn't expected. By the 2nd half of Saturday, rain chances will look to move out of the Stateline, leaving behind drier and cloudy conditions.