Strong winds continue Wednesday evening ahead of cold front and rain showers

 

11:00PM UPDATE: Steady rain continues to fall for some across Winnebago and Ogle counties Wednesday night, with additional showers found back to the northwest. The rain won't last too long in any one given location as the main line is moving east and northeast. Rainfall totals will remain under a quarter of an inch and will be wrapping up just before daybreak Thursday.

Southerly winds have been rather strong Wednesday afternoon gusting as high as 45 mph in a few locations. The winds will remain gusty through most of the evening, easing only when a cold front comes through after Midnight.

Ahead of the front rain showers have developed, moving from northeast Iowa into southwest Wisconsin. Some of the stronger showers have been capable of producing wind gusts around 50 mph,

pulling down some of the stronger winds aloft. Over the next couple of hours most of the rain will be to our west, with showers now extending across far northwest Jo Daviess County. But as the front begins to move east the rain will as well, spreading over most of northern Illinois between 8pm and 11pm. Scattered showers, with maybe a rumble of thunder or two, will continue through the night with around a quarter of an inch of rain falling by Thursday morning.

The front will sink south of the Stateline during the day Thursday taking the rain showers south with it. West winds will bring temperatures back into the low 60s for the afternoon. The front will then be pulled back north Thursday evening as showers and embedded thunderstorms overspread the region. Some heavier rainfall will be possible during that time (Thursday night) with rainfall totals adding up between half an inch to three quarters of an inch Friday morning. We'll dry things out for a couple days before the next chance of rain (and storms) moves in by the weekend.