Temperatures climb ahead of late-week storm chances

Temperatures took a step back Tuesday thanks to the cold front that came through around sunrise. On the plus side, Rockford's high of 55° will go down as the coolest one of the workweek as temperatures are set to be on the climb once again starting today. 

Similar to Tuesday, today features lots of sun. That along with lighter winds will allow temperatures to climb nicely, reaching the upper 50s. Conditions stay quiet overnight with temperatures falling back into the low 30s by Thursday morning.

Temperatures will warm further on Thursday as winds become more organized out of the southeast. This will help bring Rockford its second 60° day of the year. We then look to round out the work week with the warmest day of 2025 thus far. Sunshine, along with a rather strong southeasterly wind will send temperatures soaring into the 70s for the first time in 133 days, since October 30th, 2024. 

But with Friday's warm up comes a few caveats including the potential for thunderstorms, some of which may feature severe characteristics. As we've been hinting at, forecast models continue to show a powerful and dynamic area of low pressure sweeping across the country's midsection. Shower and thunderstorms chances during the day will be best to our south and west, though expect chances locally to increase by Friday evening.

In their latest round of severe outlooks, the Storm Prediction Center has placed the entire Stateline under a Level 2 of 5, Slight Risk for severe weather. Just to our south, much of central and southern Illinois have been placed into a Level 3 of 5, Enhanced Risk. 

Some atmospheric ingredients will be lacking during the main storm window, including moisture and instability. This is why I believe gusty winds will likely be the main concern, though some isolated hail and a tornado or two cannot be ruled out. With lots of time being now and Friday, continue to monitor the forecast as well as practicing your severe weather plan. Rain and storm chances will linger into Saturday, and so will the strong winds. It's also not out of the question that winds could meet wind advisory criteria, gusting upwards of 50 mph. Even with winds staying out of the southwest, temperatures will roll back into the upper 50s.