Temperatures are back to near normal Friday and Saturday before a cold front will affect our temperatures again Sunday. The mid to upper 70s return Friday, mid 70s Saturday and then by Sunday we will see temperatures fall into the lower 70s. For now, our temperatures are cold though in the mid to upper 40s with a few lower 50s early Friday morning.

Rain returns to our weekend forecast as early as overnight. A few isolated showers are possible Friday night, but coverage will increase into early Saturday morning. There will likely be a break mid to late morning until the early afternoon. By mid to late afternoon the second round of showers and even a few storms, some of which could be stronger, move in. As showers and storms move southeast some are expected to fizzle out. Sunday isolated showers remain in the forecast during the afternoon and early evening.

Whiteside County is the only area in the Stateline that is included in the marginal risk associated with the cold front Saturday afternoon and evening. Gusty winds would be the biggest concern if you are heading southwest of Rockford. The remainder of the area is in the generalized, non-severe category.

The updated drought monitor came out Thursday morning and almost everyone is at least sitting under a moderate drought across the Stateline. Extreme conditions continue for eastern Green, western Rock, and very northern Winnebago County. We are expecting some rain this weekend.

Temperatures are going to slowly start to warm up again by Monday we’ll be back into the mid 70s and then even near 80 as early as Tuesday. By Wednesday and Thursday it’s likely we will be in the lower 80s.