Sunshine’s long-awaited return on tap Tuesday

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - It’s been a bit of a depressing stretch for most these past few days.

For a fifth straight day, we’ve failed to register a 40° temperatures, and for a sixth consecutive day, we’ve failed to see any sunshine. One streak is to continue Tuesday, though one is nearly certain to come to an end.

High pressure is settling into the area as we speak, meaning clearing skies are to be anticipated as our Monday night progresses. That’ll ultimately lead to temperatures falling into the middle teens, with wind chills likely dropping into the single digits.

High pressure’s dominance, however, means that sunshine will be in full supply on Tuesday, a more than welcomed development for the vast majority of Stateliners clamoring for brighter times. A northerly wind will continue to restrict temperatures, though. Highs are to reach no more than 37° Tuesday.

Bigger changes arrive on Wednesday as winds finally begin to shift back to a more southerly direction. That, plus a good amount of sunshine should allow temperatures to reach the lower 50s before the arrival of more cloudiness Wednesday night.

The incoming cloudiness Wednesday night announces the arrival of our next weather maker, which is to be the fifth dynamic storm system to affect the Midwest in as many weeks.

The read on this system remains rather clear in that we’re nearly certain to be on the warm side of the storm, meaning that we’re to see rain from it. In fact, the rain could be quite heavy, and thunderstorms aren’t out of the equation, especially Thursday afternoon or early Thursday evening.

As mentioned previously, we’re to be on the warm side of the storm, meaning despite the cloudy, rainy conditions, temperatures Thursday should reach the middle 50s.

But the warmth is to be extremely temporary in nature. On the storm system’s back side, much cooler air will be quickly rushing in, sending temperatures careening downward Friday, so much so that a brief period of mixed precipitation may occur before the system ultimately departs. The rest of the day appears to be windy and much colder. While highs are to reach the lower 40s early in the day, falling temperatures are likely Friday afternoon.

That sets the stage for what looks to be another chilly weekend, with Saturday appearing to be downright frigid by mid-March standards. Clouds are to be abundant in nature, and winds are to remain gusty out of the north. The end result will be high temperatures more typical of late January, with some spots struggling to get out of the 20s during the afternoon.

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