Stretch of 70s Continue, Ahead of Tuesday's Storm Chances

What a lovely stretch of weather mother nature has given us since Election day. Plenty of sunshine, warm highs in the 70s. You couldn't ask for better weather as we now inch closer towards the middle of November. Now, if you've had a busy schedule as of recent, and haven't had a chance to really enjoy this warm weather. Today is the day. This warm stretch continues, making today the 7th straight day with highs eclipsing the 70°. This all lies ahead of Tuesday's rain chances, which happens to be our first rain chances since October 26th.

Temperatures to start are unseasonably mild for November standards, as normal low at this point in the year is 35°. But when you head out the door to temps in the 60s, that should give you a good idea on how the rest of the day should shape up. Aside from the warm start, winds are a bit breezy heading out. Winds during the pre-dawn hours have been sustained between 10-15 mph, with a few isolated 20 mph gusts. The rest of our Monday features a mix of clouds and sunshine, though at times a mostly cloudy sky is possible. With the help of a few peeks of sunshine, and a gusty southwesterly wind, highs will once again soar into the mid to upper 70s this afternoon. Our current forecast calls for a high of 76°. That will lead to another broken record, as our record high for November 9th is 74° set back in 1999. 

Another headline today is going to be the increase in wind speeds beginning late this morning. The pressure in between a high pressure system to the east, and an approaching cold front to the west, is going to tighten up. The Stateline, landing right in the middle of that tight pressure gradient. That's going to result in strong winds, gusting up to 30-35 mph at time today. Even stronger during the day tomorrow as the cold front slides through the regio, up to 40 mph. High winds like these are strong enough to blow around loose objects. Trash day is today for some, so make sure to secure any trash or recycling cans you have outside. This will also make for difficult travel for some, especially those that travel in a high-profile vehicle. 

You won't need the rain gear today, but you'll definitely need out the door tomorrow. Maybe place it by the front door before heading to bed tonight. Tuesday morning will begin with a few scattered showers, but the bulk of the heavier rain holds off until the afternoon. Model guidance suggest a line of thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours Tuesday. This line of storms look to bring the threat of not just heavy rainfall but also strong winds and large. The strongest storms will be moving into our western areas by 2PM, then pushing out of our eastern area by 7PM. The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted much of Illinois under the "marginal" risk for severe storms. As a reminder, this is a 1 out of 5 in the categories for severe weather. Behind this line of storms, cooler weather rushes in just in time for Veterans Day, as highs drop into the 50s.