Areas in California continue to get pounded by potent storm systems that are driven by what we call an "atmospheric river".
For those that have never heard of this meteorological phrase, atmospheric rivers are long and narrow regions of rich-tropical moisture that are carried inland by strong winds.
This results in torrential and long-lasting downpours, catastrophic flooding, strong winds, and significant snowfall. It's because of this that highly-populated cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fresno are now sitting well above their average rainfall for the month of January. Rockford on the other hand hasn't seen much in the rainfall department, only picking up .46" since the new year commenced.
Not As Much Sun:
Our weather pattern believe it or not has been more sun-filled and unseasonably mild as of late. And this comes right around the time in which Rockford and the surrounding areas experience their coldest period of the year climatologically.
Despite the fact that our Wednesday features a mostly cloudy sky, highs will once again make the jump into the mid 40s. This would mark the third straight day in which our regional highs peaked 10° to 20° above first-half January standards. Cloud cover sticks around overnight as our next storm system aims to sweep across the Midwest, landing well south of the area by Thursday morning.
Over the last 24 hours, forecast models have lessened our chances for a light mix of rain and snow. Still, a slim chance exists from sunrise until the early afternoon hours.
Behind the departing storm system, cooler air filters in from the northern Great Plains, resulting in highs in the upper 30s Thursday. Temperatures get even cooler for Friday as most of our spots will struggle to make it above freezing (32°). Despite the cooler trend, skies dry out a bit, allowing for some late-week sunshine!
As stated previously, this cool-down is brief. The high pressure system that brings us the late-week sunshine will dive to our south as we enter the first half of the weekend.
Winds because of this shift in position will turn to the south-southwest, allowing highs to return to the upper 30s Saturday afternoon. Expect an even warmer afternoon for Sunday as highs aim to peak in the low 40s. As far as precipitation is concerned, mainly dry over the weekend. However, guidance continues to show an increase in our rain chances during the first half of next week.
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