Sun-splashed skies to persist Thursday

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Not surprisingly, Wednesday proved to be a somewhat cooler day in comparison to Tuesday, thanks to winds having shifted back out of the northeast.

As a result of clear skies, a light or calm breeze, and dry air all in place, temperatures are to plummet Wednesday night, likely settling at their lowest levels in three months come Thursday morning. The 45° temperature expected at that time would be the chilliest reading since a 41° reading back on June 12.

Thankfully, sunshine is to be dominant from start to finish Thursday, which should be more than enough to allow temperatures to return to the lower 70s. Officially, the forecast calls for a 73° high temperature Thursday afternoon with a very light breeze.

Friday’s to feature few, if any changes whatsoever. Another sun-splashed day is ahead of us, though a southwesterly breeze may blow with a bit more gusto, allowing temperatures to warm a bit more. A high of 77° appears to be a good bet as we close out the workweek.

Come Friday evening, signs point to more cloudiness arriving as a weather system approaches from the west. However, it’s unlikely we’ll face any rainfall while heading out to any of the night’s high school football games.

Overnight Friday and into Saturday morning, the story may change a bit, as high-resolution computer forecast models are hinting at there being a few scattered showers and storms around that time.

There are surely to be breaks in the action, though, and partial sunshine may very well be in the cards from time to time Saturday. However, I don’t anticipate our area being completely cloud-free at any point during the day.

A second disturbance will bring a bit more in the way of cloudiness our way during the afternoon hours, and it’s possible, though far from guaranteed, that a few additional showers may develop. Coverage of these showers would be scattered, at best.

The rain chances Saturday are likely, if not certain to be the only chances we see over the next five days, if not longer.

Unfortunately, that may only exacerbate the growing rainfall deficits we’re continuing to amass. We’re now nearly six and a half inches below normal in that department, making it quite likely many parts of the Stateline will find the drought situation worsening in forthcoming releases of the weekly drought monitor, the next of which is due out Thursday.

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