Relief from the Heat and Humidity this Week

Peak heat index values reached as high as 111 and 112 degrees Friday and Saturday afternoon, eventually leading to strong thunderstorms Saturday afternoon over southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

Those storms formed along a cold front that passed through the Stateline Saturday evening, bringing relief from the high humidity over the past couple of days. While there are still high levels of moisture in the atmosphere, it’s not nearly as high as it was Friday and Saturday.

A shifting pattern in our jet stream for the upcoming week will allow winds to come in from the northwest, rather than from the southwest. This means a drier and less humid air mass will move over the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast. At the surface, high pressure will move down the Plains holding our winds from the North through Wednesday afternoon. Highs during the first half of the week will warm into the low 80s, with overnight lows dropping into the mid and upper 50s! That’ll be very refreshing!

By Thursday high pressure will shift to the southeast, shifting our winds more to the south. This will push temperatures back into the mid and upper 80s, close to 90 degrees, by the upcoming weekend.