Near-Record Warmth:

Thanks to plenty of sunshine and a rather breezy southwesterly wind, temperatures Wednesday ended up feeling more early-June than mid-April. Officially, Rockford peaked at 78-degrees, marking the warmest day of the year thus far.

Today is going to end up even warmer. The difference maker is the more intense southwest winds that will be present throughout the day. From 9AM to 5PM, winds could gust up to 25 to 35 mph at times, That, along with today’s sun-filled skies will help push temperatures crack the 80-degree mark for the first time in 2023. In fact, our forecast high of 82-degrees just falls short of our record high of 84-degrees set back in 1941.

Red Flag Warning Issued:

If you plan to be outdoors today, enjoy the sunshine and extremely warm temperatures without participating in any burning activities. The National Weather Service has upgraded all of our northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin counties from a Fire Weather Watch to a Red Flag Warning. This will be in effect from 11am-7pm as strong southwest winds, extremely low relative humidity, and the dry state of the ground will contribute to rapidly spreading fires.

Remember, a warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or will occur shortly. So, it’s highly discouraged that you reschedule any plans to burn. Also, please make sure to dispose of smoking products properly.

Warmth Continues:

Thursday features more of the same as temperatures are slated to peak in the low 80s. Like today, our forecast high will just fall short of the record high of 83-degrees from 2006. Winds won’t be as strong as today, gusting up to 25 mph at times. Temperatures won’t be as warm Friday and Saturday, peaking in the lower to mid 70s.