Clouds increase Wednesday as rain moves in Thursday

 

Tuesday was an absolutely beautiful Fall afternoon with temperatures warming into the mid and upper 50s, officially reaching 59 degrees in Rockford; a typical Fall afternoon.  Following a few clouds early in the day, skies have remained clear for much of Tuesday night which will allow temperatures to fall back into the 30s overnight.  Patchy frost will be possible early Wednesday.

As high pressure slides further east Wednesday, cloud cover will quickly advance in from the west.  These clouds are associated with an area of low pressure, currently moving into the southern Plains and bringing a line of severe thunderstorms extending from Texas into south-central Nebraska.  Severe weather remains over the Plains Tuesday evening and then will shift across the southern states Wednesday.  As moisture slowly begins to work in from the west, cloud cover will continue to increase locally as winds remain from the south and southeast bringing temperatures into the upper 50s, to near 60 degrees, during the afternoon.

Low pressure will travel from eastern Colorado Tuesday night to far southern Illinois Thursday night.  Moisture wrapping up and around the low into northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin will allow an expansion of showers to develop, increasing in coverage Thursday afternoon and evening.  While a few lighter showers may be possible Thursday morning, it does look like that time should be dry.

Rainfall amounts won't be quite as much as what we received Sunday and Monday, adding up to between a quarter of an inch to half an inch.  There may be a few locations that receive slightly higher amounts but those look to be for areas closer to Lake Michigan, and caused more by lake effect.

Northeast winds will increase as well, gusting 30-35mph Thursday night into Friday morning.  The stronger wind gusts will continue for the first half of the day.  Rain showers may also linger through Friday afternoon but it looks like we should be drying out, but remaining cloudy, Friday night.  High pressure and a cold front arrive for the weekend which will help keep us dry, but we may see a few more clouds from time to time.