Work week ends on a cool, windy note

Yesterday's sun-filled skies, seasonably temperatures and low humidity made for a beautiful Thursday across the Stateline. The one blemish however was the blustery wind that was in place. 

Peak gusts for areas like Rockford, Rochelle, and Galena landed in the 40-45 mph range. In open areas, you may have noticed a good amount of dust being kicked up by these gusty winds. For travelers, this did result in a reduction in visibility.

More of the same can be expected today. Sunshine will be with us in abundance for most of the day, with some clouds roaming in towards the evening. 

Winds won't be as intense as they were Thursday, but still could gust as high as 35 mph. With flow remaining out of the northwest, temperatures will once again top out in the mid to upper 70s. A few degrees below early-June standards.

As our next storm system approaches, cloud cover will further increase overnight. This will leave us with a mostly cloudy sky by sunrise. 

If you have any outdoor plans Saturday, make sure to have the umbrella close by. Now, it goes without saying that Saturday will be far from a washout as the dry hours will outweigh the wet. 

Scattered shower chances will be best during the afternoon as another cold front slides through. Shortly after the frontal passage, any chance for rain should come to an end, paving the way for a dry end to the weekend. Sunday features partly cloudy skies and a bit of breeze, with highs peaking in the upper 70s. 

Next week kicks off with a dip in temperatures as highs Monday fall back into the low 70s. But as the heat dome to our west breaks down, warmer air will spill eastward, allowing highs to gradually climb into the second half of the week. 

Temperatures will go from the low 70s Monday to the low 80s Wednesday to the upper 80s Thursday.