October 2026 will go down as one of Rockford's warmest Octobers on record. The average temperature at the Rockford Airport finished at 60.8°, ranking as the 9th warmest on record. Warmth wasn't confined to just a few days either as a remarkable 17 of October's 31 days recorded high temperatures of 70° or warmer, ranking it the 8th most 70° days in October since records began in 1905.
Even overnight temperatures were unusually mild, with just one freezing temperature recorded all month, a low of 31° on October 17th. A look at the record books shows that has only happened 6 other times at the Rockford Airport, 1931, 1940, 1956, 1963, 2017, and 2021. Taken together, the abundance of 70° afternoon, lack of freezing night, and consistently above-average temperatures made this October feel more like September.
The warmth isn't finished just because the calendar has flipped to November. A developing area of low pressure tracking to our north and west will place the region under a robust southerly to southeasterly flow through the first half of the week. That persistent wind will continue to transport mild air into the area, pushing temperatures well-above early-November standards. Highs today will wind up in the low 60s, then low 70s for Tuesday afternoon.
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