A TASTE OF SUMMER: Some areas of patchy dense fog are possible this morning, otherwise decreasing clouds are expected which will get us back into sunshine by the afternoon. Today is expected to be the warmest day of this entire amazing stretch of well above average temperatures. Highs this afternoon are expected to reach the lower 70s which are values that are typically seen at the beginning of June! CRAZY!
Winds will be gusty this afternoon too and that combined with a dry air mass will make for high fire danger, so avoid outdoor burning.
So many records have fallen over the area. Records are not kept for the airport station in Rock Falls however you can easily see records for Moline and Rockford, both of which have beaten several high temperature records dating back into the 1930s. In this stretch the Quad Cities has recorded its warmest February temperature, EVER, and today Rockford may do the same if the mercury can manage to rise past 70.
Our next storm system arrives late Thursday into Friday with showers and thunderstorms likely. Behind the system a change from past ones in that colder air filters back into the region that could provide a few snowflakes into the weekend. Accumulation potential still looks rather low here but something we’ll monitor as we get closer to the weekend.
Grab the shorts and head outside!