Record high reached, and surpassed, in northern Illinois Monday

 

Back-to-back 60 degree days, in the middle of February?! Yes, please! Sunday's high reached 61 degrees, which didn't quite reach the record of 67, but Monday afternoon we were able to soar well past the record. High temperatures Monday warmed into the mid and upper 60s, with Rockford's high reaching 66 degrees. This smashed the previous record for the 16th of February which was 57 degrees set back in 1921. We likely won't experience anymore record warmth this week, but the front half of the week will remain on the milder side, with a return back to reality by the end of the week.

According to the Chicago National Weather Service, the last time we had two 60 (plus) degree days in a row through this point in February was back on January 7th and 8th, 2008 and then again in 1944 on January 26th and 27th. 60 degree days during the months of January and February are somewhat unusual, occurring only once every 4-5 years.

For the rest of this evening, cloud cover will slowly be on the increase as the warm front that passed us this morning now begins to slowly sink back south into northern Illinois. There have been some clouds that have bubbled up along the boundary, especially in southwest Wisconsin and north-central Illinois. And from that, there could be a few sprinkles that try to develop in southern Wisconsin this evening. Otherwise, look for mostly cloudy skies and temperatures to fall into the upper 30s. Locally dense fog is also possible as the front moves through thanks to higher low-level moisture. This could lead to some travel issues early Tuesday morning.

While temperatures will remain well above average Tuesday afternoon the day won't be nearly as nice. Skies will stay partly sunny following some of the fog early in the morning. Afternoon highs will warm into the mid and upper 50s, but the low 50s are likely east and southeast of Rockford thanks to a southeast breeze. Tuesday afternoon will be dry, but another front will lift north by the evening which will bring in a chance for a few showers after sunset. As the front pulls through, temperatures will remain warm - staying very close to 50 degrees overnight Tuesday.

As a cold front moves in from the west late Tuesday night there is a chance for a few rumbles of thunder during that time, but right now that chance is at about 20%. The air mass will quickly dry out for Wednesday, allowing temperatures to once again warm into the low 60s. But this warmup will come with gusty west winds, pushing relative humidity values down below 30 percent for the afternoon. The warm, dry, and windy conditions for Wednesday are likely to elevate the fire risk for many across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.