Rainy pattern set to continue

The majority of Wednesday afternoon remained dry, despite what you may have been looking at on radar. We were in and out of the cloud cover for much of the afternoon, until clouds thickened early in the evening. Temperatures for most warmed into the upper 40s and low 50s, reaching the mid-50s southwest of Rockford. A brisk east wind kept a little chill in the air throughout the day, and has now helped to cool temperatures down quite a bit Wednesday evening.

Light rain and snow showers (yes, still blue showing up on radar) were present on the radar, but very little of that was actually reaching the ground. That's because the east wind not only kept temperatures on the cooler side, it also provided enough dry air to allow whatever was falling from the clouds to evaporate before reaching the surface.

Moisture, however, has been increasing through the evening and we are now beginning to see those showers move in from the west. Light showers are expected to continue throughout the evening and night, and there could even be a few snowflakes mixed in from time to time; no accumulation is expected.

High pressure to the north will keep winds from the east early Thursday before shifting a little to the southeast Thursday afternoon and night. A stationary boundary draped across central Illinois and stretching west/northwest into Nebraska will remain parked well to our southwest, but provide just enough of a focus for scattered showers throughout the afternoon Thursday. These showers shouldn't be too widespread, but a few steadier downpours are possible.

The boundary gets pushed a little further to the south Friday before being pulled north as a warm front Friday night and Saturday. This will be when the next wave of rain is expected to move in. Instability will also increase, especially during the day Saturday, and depending on where exactly the warm front rests Saturday afternoon, the risk for a few stronger storms could be present very close to the Stateline. A cold front moves in Sunday, settling to the south Sunday afternoon. There remains a small risk for a few showers, especially over southern Wisconsin and far northern Illinois, during the afternoon.

Temperatures are expected to remain below average, but could briefly warm above Saturday with the warm front. Highs Thursday will only reach the low 50s, low 60s for Friday and then remain in the upper 50s and low 60s into next week.