Weather pattern dries out, multiple 80° days ahead

Trending Drier:

The streak carries on! Wednesday became the 12th consecutive day where the Rockford Airport observed at least a trace of rain. 9 of which have come in with measurable rainfall. This streak however should come to an end today as the stubborn low responsible for this week's rainfall pushes east.

 

Thursday begins with quite a bit cloud cover and even some patchy dense fog. But as the lingering effects of this recent storm system wear off, the expectation is that more sun will appear as the day progresses. 

The additional sunshine however won't have much of an impact on temperatures. With a cool northeasterly wind in place, highs will peak in the low 70s this afternoon. Skies will continue to clear into tonight, setting the stage once again for patchy dense fog for the morning commute Friday. 

Summer Isn't Done:

From there, sunshine will then name of the game for Friday as well as for the first weekend of fall. But thanks to a strong blocking ridge of high pressure aloft, temperatures this weekend won't be feeling very "fall-like". It's underneath this dome of high pressure where unseasonably warm air will spill across the Midwest and the Great Lakes. 

This will allow highs to peak in the upper 70s Friday, with 80° weather moving in Saturday. It's not until the middle of next week where we see this ridge begin to break down, allowing temperatures to somewhat cool. But it's also during this time in which our next rain chance swings in.