13News Weather Blog

HOT WEEKEND AHEAD

Dixie was sweltering on Friday as temperatures once again surpassed the century mark. High pressure has kept the heat's core away from Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, but it will lose it's grip this weekend.

As the high moves to the northeast, winds will begin to tug at the heat. While we won't see 100° temperatures here, the mercury will surpass 90° each day this weekend with heat index values up around the 100° mark during the 3-7pm timeframe.

Please use extra caution if you're heading out to the Boone County Fair or Hotfest for Hospice in Downtown Rockford.

What are you doing to beat the heat? -ERIC

TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING is currently in effect for Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, and DeKalb counties. The Rockford Airport has recorded 3 inches of rain, but many locations across the Stateline have seen much more than that over the past few hours. Winnebago County is in a brief lull right now, but another strong line of thunderstorms is quickly moving into Stephenson County.

I just drove into work and the driving conditions are VERY poor. Visibility is limited due to nightfall, making it tough to navigate through areas with standing water. I could not drive south along Alpine Street due to standing water. Several stoplights are not operating due to power outages. I ran across a handful of cars that were left in the middle of the road due to flash flooding. Frequent lightning strikes have downed many trees as well. I advise you not to drive until sunrise if at all possible. Even then, flash flooding will be a concern and driving conditions will be treacherous during the morning rush. -ADAM

Monday Night Update

Scattered showers and storms continue to traverse across the Stateline. Rainfall totals around 2 inches have already been reported in DeKalb County. Thunderstorms continue to develop out towards central Iowa. As the night wears on, our threat for severe weather continues to diminish. As stated earlier, gusty winds are possible, but any severe weather will be isolated. The main concern continues to be the potential for heavy rainfall, which is why a Flash Flood Watch is in effect for all of the Stateline viewing area until tomorrow afternoon. -ADAM

Severe weather possible later today

The Storm Prediction Center has put Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin in a slight risk of severe weather. A Weather Watch may be required for the late-afternoon and evening timeframe. Whether this watch will be a Severe Storm Watch or a Tornado Watch remains to be seen as there appears to be a small threat for isolated, brief tornadoes. Keep a watchful eye to the skies as storms will likely threaten the Rockford metro through evening. In addition to severe weather, flash flooding will be a possiibility. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Southern Wisconsin. -ERIC

Flammable Atmosphere

Simply put, the atmosphere is ripe for some stormy weather. As of 3pm, scattered thunderstorms have developed between Cedar Rapids and DeKalb. The potential exists for gusty winds from some of these thunderstorms. No watches or warnings have been issued just yet, but are quite likely later on today. Rainfall totals over the next 24 hours could be quite hefty with a few locations eclipsing 2" of rain. This why all of southern Wisconsin has already been placed under a Flash Flood Watch. -ADAM

Sprinkler Time? Set Your Alarm...

Here is a glance at our percentage chances at catching some much needed rain over the next three days. I added a bouncing beach ball to the Thursday slot, because today looks like a mostly dry day. Our rain chances will peak at a paltry 15%-20% this afternoon. Friday should be a bone dry day. Saturday will definitely start off on a dry note, but by Saturday night our rain chances increase to around 30%-40%. Not exactly off the charts, but certainly more promising than anything we've seen over the past week. -ADAM