Tranquil Monday Ahead, Quickly Warming Up into Midweek

July Recap:

With July now in the books, let's take a look at how things shaped up. Temperature-wise, July landed fairly close to average. However, it was a very healthy month in the rainfall department as the Rockford Airport picked up an inch and a half more than average. While it was a pleasant and sun-filled end to the month of July, the new month is set to begin with a rather rapid warm-up!  

Tranquil Monday:

Monday kicks off under a mostly cloudy sky as a weak cold front slides through the region. Post-frontal passage, clouds are expected to clear, making for a good amount of PM sun. 

Winds will take a turn to the northwest, gusting up to 25 mph at times. While this doesn't spell a cooling trend in our temperatures, this will bring the Stateline's humidity levels down to a more comfortable state. No issues for the overnight hours as skies remain clear with temperatures falling into the lower 60s before sunrise.

Quickly Warming Up:

A warm front lifting into the western Great Lakes will help tilt our winds to a more southerly direction for Tuesday and Wednesday. This will allow our temperatures to inch closer to the 90-degree mark by Tuesday afternoon, with 90-degree weather in the works for Wednesday. 

Along with the quick surge in heat comes an uptick in humidity. With dew points sitting in the lower 70s on Wednesday, it is likely possible that heat index values will register in the upper 90s-lower 100s range. This would be the day where heat safety needs to a big priority, especially if you plan to be outside for a prolonged period of time!

Midweek Storm Chances:

Storm chances are then set to move in late into Wednesday night as our next cold front slides in from the west. While the severe potential is on the lower end of the spectrum, the Storm Prediction Center has placed our region under a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5), with damaging straight-line winds being the main concern. 

Conditions are then expected to quiet down and cool down for Thursday and Friday, with highs peaking in the low to mid 80s. It's during this time that a ridge of high pressure aloft shifts eastward, allowing a some of the warmer air trapped underneath it to also spread eastward. This will allow high temperatures to gradually inch closer to the 90-degree over the weekend!