Temperatures Wednesday afternoon warmed into the low 60s, reaching 63 degrees in Rockford. Outside of a few fair-weather cumulus clouds Wednesday evening, skies will remain mostly clear. High pressure moving in will keep our winds calm which could lead to some patchy frost early Thursday. Winds will then turn to the southwest Thursday afternoon warming temperatures into the low to mid 70s.

Skies are expected to stay dry through Friday afternoon with highs warming back into the low to mid 70s. The chance for rain will gradually increase Friday night as low pressure passes through central and southern Illinois. The chance for rain remains around 20-30 percent.

Winds will turn to the southeast Saturday as high pressure settles over the eastern Great Lakes. This will help reinforce a warm front downstate before lifting north Saturday night and Sunday. Upper-level ridging during the day will limit precipitation but as the ridge breaks down Saturday night, showers and thunderstorms will be possible.

Sunday afternoon remains mostly dry with a renewed chance for showers and thunderstorms Sunday night. The pattern could then turn a little more active beyond Monday as a warm front stalls close to the state line. This could bring periodic chances for showers and thunderstorms into next week.

If that occurs temperatures would most likely be cooler due to the cloud cover, rain, and thunderstorms.