ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – There’s no denying that the last few weeks have been glorious. Our air conditioners have only had to run one or two days, if at all. With highs of 76 degrees on Thursday, the state has been cooler than normal 12 of the last 15 days.
A transition to a warmer weather pattern is underway and will likely begin on Friday, thanks to plenty of sunshine and an increasingly well-organized southerly wind. Although there will be partial cloud from time to time, temperatures should be between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius without any problems. Fortunately, humidity will not be a problem at all on Friday.
A warmer Friday night will cause temperatures to rise even further on Saturday. Highs on Saturday will be around 30°C under partly cloudy skies, and humidity will rise noticeably but not reach oppressive levels.
What we’ve been missing lately is rain, and there only seems to be one chance of significant rain in the coming week, arriving late Saturday evening and Saturday night, and possibly continuing into Sunday morning. A few isolated showers are possible late Saturday afternoon and early Saturday night, but by far the greatest rain chances will be between 11pm and 9am Saturday night. Severe weather doesn’t seem to be a concern at this stage of the game.
Once the storms clear on Sunday morning and the clouds finally give way to sunshine in the afternoon, temperatures will rise below 35 degrees. Humidity will also rise, leading to a heat index of over 35 degrees.
The real heat will come later on Monday and now Tuesday, when temperatures will reach the mid 90s. The record high for both days is 97°, both reached in 1953. Our current forecast calls for highs of 96° on Monday and highs of 94° on Tuesday.
From the middle of next week, it is expected to be a little cooler but significantly less humid, and it will probably get cooler again just in time for Labor Day weekend.
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