While the weather pattern as of late has been relatively dry, that couldn't be said for this time period back in 2015. A line of strong to severe storms tracked through the northern half of Illinois, producing torrential downpours, flash flooding, and sporadic wind damage.
Overall, a whopping 2.87" of rain was observed at the Rockford Airport, breaking the previous daily record set in 2005. Now, rainfall of that magnitude is NOT in the forecast for our Thursday, but rain will become a decent bet by the weekend.
In a similar fashion to the past few mornings, we'll wake up to a round of patchy dense fog. Visibility at times could be as low as a mile, especially in low-lying and open/rural areas.
If you plan to travel, make sure to give yourself extra travel time. Otherwise, skies will turn partly cloudy by the afternoon with highs peaking in the lower 80s. Along with the additional cloud cover comes a slim chance for a late-day shower. Once the heating process from the sun diminishes, any chance for a shower should end by sunset.
Weekend Rain Chances:
Overnight Thursday into Friday, forecast models our next storm system will be sliding into the Western Great Lakes. Along for the ride comes multiple rain chances that extend well into the upcoming weekend. The first coming in two rounds, one early in the day and then again as the evening commute approach. Both look to be rather weak and isolated in nature, and shouldn't pose the threat for severe weather.
Models continue to place the better opportunity for rain, even the potential for a few thunderstorms, on Saturday. Earlier this morning, the Storm Prediction Center placed areas to the south and west of Rockford under a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) for severe weather. This is for any storm that may pose a risk for damaging straight-line winds and small-sized hail.
The storm system then looks to track over the northern half of Illinois, sliding to our east-southeast by Sunday afternoon. This will allow scattered shower and thunderstorm chances to carry on into the end of the weekend before drying takes place into early next week. While it’d be premature to cancel any outdoor plans, it would be wise to make sure to have an umbrella on hand just to be safe.
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