September was wet, but October has turned much drier

Tale of the Tape:

October has been much quieter in the rainfall department compared to September. Last month, the Rockford Airport recorded measurable rain on 13 different days, helping make it a consistently wet month. So far in October, we've only picked up measurable rain on five days. Despite the drop in rainy days, many locations remain near to slightly above average for monthly precipitation thanks to the heavy rainfall at the start of the month. 

Dry Pattern Continues:

We'll remain dry as we head through the start of the week. A more active jet stream will stay well to our north, while areas of high pressure anchored over the Great Lakes and central plains keep systems away from the Stateline. As a result, sunshine will continue to dominate, though a few passing clouds may drift through this afternoon. Even with those occasional clouds, temperatures will climb into the upper 60s, making for a pleasant start to the week. 

With a ridge of high pressure continuing to build across the central plains, the dry stretch looks to remain firmly in place through the rest of the workweek. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are expected to remain rain-free as storm system track well north of the area. 

In fact, Tuesday and Wednesday could see wall-to-wall sunshine, helping afternoon highs climb into the upper 60s and low 70s each afternoon.  

Weekend Sneak Peek:

Not much changes as we head into the weekend. However, forecast models continue to hint at a storm system developing across the plains as we head into Sunday. That may be enough to push a cold front northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, bringing at least a slight chance for a passing shower. 

At this point, moisture appears limited and rain chances remain quite low. Looking further ahead, our next more meaningful opportunity for precipitation may not arrive until the end of the month, possibly into the beginning of November.