ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – The Stateline benefited from nothing short of gorgeous weather during the first week and a half of October.

There was bright sunshine again on Thursday, allowing temperatures to reach the mid-70s for the third day in a row.

Speaking of the sun, earlier in the day a severe G4 geomagnetic storm occurred on the sun, sending a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth. While these storms can impact power grids and GPS infrastructure, the most noticeable effect is the increased ability to see the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

Once there has been a geomagnetic storm and a subsequent CME, we begin to pay attention to something called the Planetary K Index (Kp). In order for us to see the Northern Lights in these areas, we need a Kp index of at least 7. As of late Thursday afternoon, the Kp index was 8.33, which would be more than enough for us to see the Northern Lights this evening into early morning Friday morning.

Current forecasts suggest Kp index values ​​will remain above 7 until 4:00 a.m. Friday and remain near or above 8 until 1:00 a.m. So if you’re up for another amazing light show, get out of town, far away from any lights, and try to take a look for yourself! Luckily there are no clouds to obstruct our view.

There will be sunshine at the start of the day on Friday, but it will become more cloudy as the day progresses. However, gusty southwest winds will work to our advantage, pushing temperatures up to 80° despite the additional cloud cover. Winds may gust up to 25 miles per hour at times during the afternoon.

The combination of gusty winds, warm, dry air and a worsening drought situation still poses a somewhat worrisome threat to fire danger, particularly on Friday afternoon. Considering that nearly 85% of the state’s border is now in moderate drought, any fires that actually ignite will spread quickly.

A cold front will move through on Friday evening, shifting the winds back to the northeast and perhaps causing a few showers, but nothing more.

There will be more clouds on Saturday, but not entirely without sunshine. Nevertheless, temperatures will drop sharply compared to Friday as easterly winds will blow for most of the day and there may be light showers here and there. However, Saturday’s forecast high temperatures of 71° will still be well above normal for this time of year.

Sunday is the day when we will see even more significant changes. With northwesterly winds howling during the day, significantly cooler air is expected to arrive from Canada. While Sunday’s forecast high of 63°C is expected to be the coolest of the month so far, it would actually still be around October 13’s normal.

Next week it will be even cooler. We will have high temperatures around 50 on both Monday and Tuesday, with lows near freezing tonight. Frost is expected at this point, so we need to think about planting or covering our delicate plants.

Milder times will follow. Temperatures could rise back to 70 degrees by Thursday, and 80 degrees are not out of the question by the end of next week.

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