Despite the hot stretch last week, August as a whole finished with slightly cooler than normal high, low, and average temperatures in Rockford. Meanwhile, we continued the dry pattern, with only 1.41″ of rain falling over the whole month. 1.08″ of that came on the 14th, while most of the month featured dry days, giving us well below normal precipitation for the month.

More comfortable air sticks around tonight, allowing temperatures to fall back into the upper 50s overnight. While not as cool as the previous few nights, comfortable weather still headlines the forecast for one more night.

Saturday brings the first of a few summer-like days with highs returning to the 90s. Like Friday, Saturday will feature plenty of sunshine, along with warmer Southwest winds. Humidity will not be very high, with heat index values slightly below the temperature as a result of lower dew points.

The rest of the holiday weekend is not so fortunate with comfortable weather. Mother Nature is very timely with our next round of heat, as the last summer holiday brings temperatures in the 90s each day this weekend. We will remain precipitation-free, leading to a great long holiday weekend for outdoor plans outside of the heat! Humidity remains almost negligible Saturday and Sunday but starts to rise by Monday. Heat indices will stick very close to the air temperature on Saturday and Sunday, but not so much for Monday.

Labor Day specifically brings not only the warmest temperatures, but also the highest dew points. Those dew points climb into the 60s and 70s by the afternoon, leading to heat index values pushing the triple digits at times. Make sure to stay hydrated this holiday weekend!

Once the humidity climbs Monday, it is not very quick to leave. Dew points may hover near the 70°-mark into the middle of the week, ahead of our next cold front Wednesday. This rise in humidity also brings rain and storm chances mainly Wednesday into Thursday.

While we have seen a short cool stretch lately, the temperatures look to stay above normal into the middle of September. The Climate Prediction Center outlook once again favors above normal temperatures between the 7th and 11th of this month.

This warmth and heat may cause some to look forward to fall, and there is some good news relating to cooler weather! Meteorological Fall begins today, with average high temperatures near 80°. But by the end of September, normal highs will be in the low 70s and upper 60s! By November, average highs are in the 40s and 50s!

We are going to be far from fall-like weather in the meantime, with highs in the 90s for 4 straight days through the holiday weekend. Once our upper-level ridge begins to break down, we will see additional rain and storm chances enter the area, starting Tuesday. Highest chances for storms as of now appears to be Wednesday and Wednesday night. Temperatures remain above normal all the way through the end of the upcoming week.