Sunshine Rounds Out the Work Week, Gradual Warm-Up to Follow

Sun-Filled Recap:

Boy, this week is flying by isn't it? It must be because of the beautiful weather we've had, thanks to mother nature herself. With a dome of high pressure sitting over the Great Lakes region, the past two days both featured an average cloud cover of 20%. In regards to today's forecast, wash, rinse, and repeat. However, the plethora of sunshine that greets us out the door will also be met with another chilly start.

Same Sunshine, Different Day:

For the third straight morning, the National Weather Service placed a Frost Advisory for a portion of our region. Thankfully this time, the threat for frost wasn't as widespread, so the advisory only contained Dekalb and McHenry counties in northern Illinois, along with Walworth county in southern Wisconsin. With the chilly start in mind, make sure to put on a jacket or a sweatshirt before stepping out. But similar to Wednesday morning, you'll want to grab a pair of stylish sunglasses as plenty of sunshine is expected, especially during the morning hours. As for the afternoon, a few clouds will swing through from time to time, with temperatures climbing back into the upper 60s. One thing to note about tonight, we won't have the threat for frost. Winds heading into the overnight hours look to remain out of the west-southwest, which will aid in a slow temperature drop. Most spots should end up in the low to mid 40s by Friday morning, which is too warm for frost to develop.

Weekend Setup:

Moving forward, guidance continues to show this high pressure system having a slow departure. With it's position over the northeast, this will limit how far north a warm front could lift. This will result in cooler-than-average highs for both Saturday and Sunday, but not far from where we have been as of recent. However, models do indicate a wave of warmer air arriving early next week, pushing highs above average as early as Monday. We even have a shot to see the 80° by the time the middle of the work week rolls around. Along with the upcoming warmth does come a couple of chances for the Stateline to see some rain. A weak system late Friday into Saturday has the potential to bring a couple of showers to kick off the weekend. The better of these rain chances comes with a more well-defined system late Sunday, which could bring a soaking rain to the area. Something we desperately need.