Strongest Winds Arrive Today, Big Cooldown Begins Thursday

Winds across the Stateline have been howling so far this week, as the Rockford International Airport observed a 39 mph wind gust both Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon. For those that want a break from the gusty winds, I'm sorry to say that we will see the complete opposite today. Stronger winds are expected to arrive by this afternoon, strong enough to prompt a wind advisory for some. It's safe to say if wearing a hat is part of your attire, you better hold onto them this afternoon.

Conditions for those stepping out the door early on remain quiet, but chilly. Overnight, temperatures in most spots rapidly dropped into the low to mid 40s. Before leaving for your destination, it would be wise to put on that jacket or hoodie to stay warm this morning. Similar to yesterday, this morning's chilly start doesn't tell the tale for the rest of our day. A warm front, currently to our southwest, is set to lift through the region around mid-day. This will not only shift our winds to the south-southwest, but ramp them up for the afternoon. Although this will bring highs back into the low 70s, winds will end up stronger than what we saw both Monday and Tuesday.

Due to how strong winds will get this afternoon, the National Weather Service has placed put a good portion of the viewing area under a Wind Advisory. This advisory is for all of our counties in Northern Illinois, and is set to be in effect from 12 PM to 7 PM. The strongest winds could gust up to 40-45 mph, with a few isolated spots observing gusts near 50 mph. If you are set to travel this afternoon and especially during the evening commute, these winds could make for bumpy travel on east to west roads. To remain safe while traveling, be sure to have a firm grip on the steering wheel. Also, watch out for high-profile vehicles such as tractor-trailers. Following the conclusion of the Wind Advisory, windy conditions stick around into tonight. A strong cold front coming in will shift our surface winds to the northwest, commencing a big cooldown set to stick around for the end of the work week.  

Following tonight's cold front, very cold air will spill into our atmosphere from Canada. If you're not ready for sweater weather, you better be by tomorrow as high temperatures crash. After feeling comfortably warm this afternoon, highs both Thursday and Friday will fall into the low to mid 50s. This is about 5 to 10° below average, as we're normally sitting in the low 60s this time of year. Not only will this cold front bring cooler days to the Stateline, but also cooler nights. Low temps are set to drop into the low 30s both Friday morning and Saturday morning. With that being said, frost is going to be a big possibility. Before heading to bed tomorrow night, you'll want to bring in or cover any sensitive plants as frost could bring harm to them.