Continued Warmth:

Monday in my opinion was the third “10 out of 10” in a row on the Joey scale as temperatures under sun-filled skies peaked in the upper 60s and low 70s.

In fact, Rockford’s high of 72° is officially the warmest high temperature of 2023, beating April 4th by a single degree. But with the way the forecast is shaping up over the next few days, yesterday’s warmth won’t have the top spot for long.

High pressure parked over the southeast U.S will keep our surface winds out of the south and southwest, allowing the temperature climb to continue. Today, winds could gust up to 25 mph, with slightly higher gusts expected for Wednesday. This along with plenty of sun will quickly bring temperatures into the upper 70s this afternoon, then into the low 80s Wednesday.

80-Degree Stats:

Now, if you are scratching your head trying to remember when the last time Rockford experienced 80-degree heat, I can tell you it’s been quite a while. In fact, you would have to go back to October 22nd, 2022 to find our last 80-degree day. On average, we typically see our first 80-degree day on April 23rd. So, if we do hit that 80-degree mark Wednesday (which is more than likely at this point), it would come slightly ahead of schedule.

If you plan to be outside during this unseasonably warm stretch, it would be VERY wise to refrain from burning, especially Wednesday into Thursday. It’s during this time in which the environment will be very favorable for any brush fire to rapidly spread.

Please make sure to reschedule any plans to burn. Also, it would help if you disposed any of your smoking products properly instead of disposing them outdoors.

The dry and warm stretch carries on into Thursday as highs aim to land in the upper 70s, with a few spots landing in the low 80s. Clouds will increase quickly on Friday, paving the way for our next rain chance which arrives Saturday morning into Saturday afternoon.