So far April has been a very warm month, especially this past week. Temperatures ran around 20° above normal these last few days, as our highs reached into the 70s and 80s. 80° 3 days in a row, including Friday afternoon.

Friday’s high reaching 80° in Rockford marked the 3rd day in a row reaching such a high temperature. The last time Rockford had a 3-day stretch of 80° days was back in September, over 200 days ago!

The warmth continues tonight as temperatures are very slow to cool, only reaching down to the upper 50s for the overnight low. This is near our normal highs this time of year!

We are warm again tomorrow afternoon, as highs approach the 80-degree mark once more. We will see some sunshine initially for the early part of the day, but a cold front will bring storm chances toward the evening and night.

These storms will likely form a line to our West and move closer to the Stateline after 7PM. A few cells could be a bit stronger and pose a small hail and gusty wind threat. Storm chances end around 4AM, but showers continue through Sunday.

As for the severe threat, the Storm Prediction Center has placed much of the Stateline under a Level 1/5 Marginal Risk, indicating a few storms could be severe tomorrow evening. Make sure to remain weather aware!

Showers continue through Sunday as the low-pressure continues to spin overhead. By the afternoon, temperatures will be down in the 40s and 30s. Snow is even possible late Sunday going into Monday.

The drastic change in temperatures comes after the front passes early Sunday. The high temperature Sunday will be reached very early on, with afternoon temperatures closer to the 40s. Monday is another chilly day, but gradual warming begins to take place for the middle of the week.

The longer-term outlook from the Climate Prediction Center is favoring below normal temperatures to end out the month of April, so it is likely that the 80s will not return until May.

The good news is that normal temperatures for the end of the month are in the mid-60s, so the cold stretch will not be too bad.

A chance for some storms comes along a cold front Saturday evening, as we cool down a lot for Sunday and Monday before slowly warming to the 50s and 60s again by the end of the week.