Rain returns Friday morning

 We'll see one more quiet and comfortable July afternoon before changes to the weather pattern occur for the weekend. Skies remain mostly clear Wednesday night as high pressure moves across the Upper Midwest, settling over Lake Superior Thursday morning. Winds will turn light as temperatures dip into the mid and upper 50s. Skies remain mostly clear for much of Thursday afternoon, but cloud cover does return during the evening and overnight. High temperatures warm into the low 80s.

While most of our Thursday remains dry, increasing moisture over the Mississippi River Valley could lead to a few more clouds west of Rockford as showers try to develop west of the Mississippi River. Locally, we should remain dry.

The chance for rain will return, however, Thursday night and Friday morning as a strong ridge of high pressure is pushed to the west. Thunderstorms developing Thursday over the High Plains will move into the Midwest before diving southeast Thursday night and Friday morning. These thunderstorms will be developing along the outer edge of high heat and humidity, following the flow of the jet stream. A few strong/severe thunderstorms are possible over the Plains Thursday, but severe weather is not expected for us as the storm cluster moves closer Friday morning.

As moisture in the atmosphere increases, heavy rainfall will likely occur over parts of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Whether or not that heavy rain occurs locally or slightly further to the northeast is still in question, but it does look like rainfall totals could be over an inch wherever the heavy rain axis occurs. The rain will last through late Friday morning with a few showers possibly lingering into Friday afternoon. Friday night should remain mostly dry.

Dew point temperatures are expected to rise back into the 60s and low 70s Friday, Saturday and Sunday, pushing the humidity up for the weekend even though temperatures will remain in the 80s. Isolated thunderstorms are possible Saturday as a warm front lifts towards the region. This will be followed by a cold front Sunday, increasing the chance for a few showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.