Sunshine returns and so do the 50s!

Weather-wise, December has been a bit of a drag. 

Highs have been stagnant, with 5 of December's 6 days coming in with highs in the upper 30s. 

And while we managed to squeeze in a little more sunshine Thursday, the average cloud cover for the sixth straight day landed above 80%. 

Fortunately, big changes arrive to round out the work week. Changes that involve less cloud cover and more sun as well as unseasonably warm temperatures.

Skies today will be filled with sunshine with clouds passing through from time to time. The combination of today's sunshine and warm southwest wind will place afternoon highs in the low 50s.

 

 

Skies turn partly cloudy overnight, with lows falling into the low 40s. Friday's warmer start will pave the way for a slightly warmer afternoon as highs will surge in the mid to upper 50s. 

Tomorrow's high of 55° comes on the day in which Rockford typically sees it's last 50° day of the year.

Clouds will continue to thicken up into Friday night as our next cold front/low-pressure system approach from the west. Not too behind that will be our next chance for precipitation.

As we've been discussing all week long, monitoring model trends were key into figuring out the forecast as we go into the weekend.

Earlier in the week, forecast models were showing a very snowy scenario for the Stateline. But as we've inched closer to the actual event, it seems this storm system has lost it's upper-level support and won't have as much cold air as previously thought. 

Time frame is still the same, with rain showers moving in Friday night and lasting into mid-day Saturday. With this upcoming chance for precipitation comes quite the wind, which will help filter in a much colder air mass for the weekend and for the early stages of next week. Highs go from the low to mid 50s to the low 40s Saturday to the upper 30s Sunday and Monday.