Temperatures take a brief tumble ahead of warm-up for the weekend

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ROCKFORD (WREX) — It's funny how quickly the human body adapts to warmer or cooler weather. After several mild days, Thursday might offer a bit of a shock to the system.

Cold start Thursday:

Temperatures Thursday morning dropped into the teens and 20s, offering a frosty start after several "mild" mornings. Compared to Wednesday morning, temperatures were a solid 15° to 20° cooler.

A combination of clear skies and calm winds mean not only prime cooling, but also patchy fog formation. Not anticipating this to become too problematic, but be mindful of the potential through about 8 a.m.

The "gateway to the weekend" features plenty of sunshine, allowing temperatures to rebound nicely by late in the day. Highs top out in the mid-to-upper-30s, which is right around average.

So far in February, average temperatures have been very cool. From February 1st to February 24th, Rockford's average temperature was only 12.8°. This makes it the fourth coldest-to-date since record-keeping began in the late 19th-Century.

Warming up again:

Thursday features the coolest highs of the next few days, with highs back into the 40s by the weekend. The only other chilly day looks to be Monday, with forecast highs in the middle 30s.

As the next work week progresses, it appears as though warmer-than-average temperatures continue. The start of March could be a sign of things to come, with above average temperatures favored through the third month of the year.

Weekend showers?:

Don't read that headline and immediately rush to cancel plans. It looks like the best chance for any precipitation comes in overnight Friday into Saturday morning. Liquid precipitation is most likely as temperatures remain near and slightly above freezing. A flake or two is possible, but this should only amount to minor accumulations if any.