November record warmth continues

 

Temperatures Sunday afternoon warmed into the low to mid 70s, officially reaching 75 degrees in Rockford. Not only did this tie our daily record high for today, previously 75 degrees set back in 1999, it also broke the record for the longest stretch of 70 degree days in a row, as well as the overall number of 70 degree days during the month of November - and we're only eight days into the month! The record daily high also fell last Friday when the temperature rose to 76 degrees.

Skies did turn mostly cloudy at times as more moisture was pulled northward from the Gulf Sunday, leaving our skies partly to mostly cloudy. This may have also made it feel just a little more 'muggy (for November standards)' this afternoon. With a breezy southerly wind Sunday night, temperatures likely won't fall much below 60 degrees (which is warmer than the average high this time of year). Despite the cloud cover Monday afternoon, gusty southerly winds will continue to pull in unseasonable warmth bringing highs back into the mid 70s. If we do reach the forecast high of 75 degrees Monday, it'll break the previous record of 74 degrees set back in 1999. Tuesday will likely be another unseasonably warm afternoon, despite a cold front coming through later in the evening. The high temperature on Tuesday is forecast to reach 72 degrees and if reached, would break the previous record of 70 degrees set back in 2010.

The stretch of very warm weather will come to an end Tuesday night, however, as a rather strong cold front is set to move through the Midwest and Great Lakes. While it won't bring a great chill to the region, it'll *feel* a lot colder compared to the warmth we've experienced for the last week. Temperatures to start the day Wednesday will be in the low 30s, with highs warming back into the low 50s Wednesday afternoon.