Mild stretch to continue well beyond Thanksgiving

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - For as miserable as last week was for most in the Stateline, the start of this week has been nothing short of spectacular.

For a third straight day, sunshine was abundant throughout the region, helping us overcome a rather chilly start to the day, with morning lows in the teens, to see temperatures warm dramatically into the upper 40s to lower 50s.

If anything, things look to improve on Wednesday, though there’s one small area of concern to note. Clear skies initially Tuesday evening will allow for temperatures to cool rather quickly, and as temperatures and dew points come close to one another early Wednesday morning, a few patches of fog are possible to develop, especially in spots where winds go light or calm.

Fog will be quick to burn off on Wednesday, allowing sunshine to go back to work alongside a somewhat more organized southwesterly wind. The end result’s to be a second straight day of highs in the 50s. Our current forecast calls for a 55° afternoon high.

We’ll cloud over Wednesday evening, which will make for a milder night, as lows aren’t to drop below the freezing mark.

Thanksgiving Day is to be one that doesn’t feature much, if any sunshine. However, it will still feature mild temperatures in the lower 50s thanks to the continued presence of southerly and southwesterly winds. However, with a bit more moisture in the air and a cold front approaching from the west, it is also possible that a few pockets of sprinkles or light rain showers could develop, especially in the afternoon and evening hours. Fear not, though. It’s important to emphasize that the chances are still somewhat low, and any precipitation that would occur would be light and scattered, only lasting for a brief amount of time. No travel impacts are anticipated.

Looking beyond Thanksgiving, another winner’s on tap Friday with sunshine returning and a fourth straight day of 50s on the docket. No travel concerns are to be noted anywhere in the Midwest or Great Lakes.

Saturday’s to start out quietly, and still shows the potential of being the warmest day of the bunch. Clouds will gather late Saturday into Saturday night ahead of our next storm system which looks to bring slightly better chances for rainfall to our area. Right now, guidance points to rain holding off until AFTER Stroll on State comes to a conclusion, but close monitoring of the situation will be necessary, and we’ll be doing just that.

A few showers may linger into Sunday’s very early hours, but the main travel impact expected Sunday, if any, would be in the form of cooler breezes that may gust to 25-30mph. Still, Sunday’s high temperatures, while cooler, are still to come in well above normal for late November. Expect highs Sunday to reach the middle and upper 40s.

Copyright 2022 WIFR. All rights reserved.