Warmer Wednesday ahead, though humidity to remain absent

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Tuesday proved to be just what the doctor ordered in the wake of the massive flooding that occurred Sunday and Monday.

High pressure has settled in overhead, which helped create a picture perfect Tuesday, and all signs point to the same being the case Wednesday. Clear skies and light winds Tuesday evening are to allow for rapid cooling to take place, and by early Wednesday morning, temperatures will have dipped into the 50s.

Sunshine is to dominate from start to finish Wednesday, and temperatures should have little trouble reaching the middle 80s. While things to appear to be considerably warmer than Tuesday, humidity will remain in control thanks to northwesterly winds.

A weak cold front will be approaching from the north Wednesday evening, likely triggering a line of scattered showers and thunderstorms over Central and Southern Wisconsin. The good news is that the front will pass through our area overnight, when the atmosphere is far more stable, meaning most, if not all of the showers and storms will fizzle out before reaching our area.

Mixed cloudiness may linger into the opening stages of Thursday, though the expectation moving forward is that sunshine should become more prominent later in the day. A wind shift back to the northeast Thursday should send temperatures back into the upper 70s to lower 80s. Humidity, again, will be of no concern.

No rainfall of any consequence appears in our forecast until the weekend, and even those chances don’t appear to be too imposing. At most, our area’s to expect a quarter of an inch of rain over the next five days, with Sunday appearing to have the best chances of wet weather.

Thankfully, we’re not looking at flooding to be exacerbated in the days ahead, though it’s still going to be something to watch. Flood Warnings remain in effect for Stephenson County and along the Pecatonica River between Shirland and Freeport indefinitely. The Pec continues to rise near Shirland, and will go above flood stage sometime Wednesday. A crest there isn’t anticipated until late Thursday or early Friday. Meanwhile, in Freeport, the water appears to be slowly falling, or so that’s the hope. A high-water mark of 15.72′ was observed late Tuesday afternoon. That level had fallen, albeit very slightly, Tuesday evening. The current forecast suggest the river in the Pretzel City will fall below flood stage sometime Thursday.

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