Summer heat and thunder chances continue through the weekend

Temperatures Wednesday afternoon warmed into the upper 80s, with a few locations reaching 90 degrees - including Rockford. This is the 11th time that Rockford's high temperature has reached 90 degrees, or above.

Skies were quick to turn partly cloudy allowing a few thunderstorms to develop north of the state line. Isolated strong to severe storms continue further north near Green Bay, moving out over Lake Michigan. But further south the activity has remained rather isolated and localized.

While we may still see a very isolated shower develop within the next couple of hours, most should remain dry through the night. Winds will turn light once again with overnight lows dipping into the mid-60s.

There remains a slightly better chance (although still isolated) Thursday for a few showers and thunderstorms as a weak boundary slips into southern and southeast Wisconsin. This will combine with a little more moisture during the afternoon as temperatures warm back near 90 degrees. The Storm Prediction Center continues to highlight southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois under a 'marginal' risk for an isolated strong/severe storm or two, with strong wind gusts and hail being the primary threats (if storms develop).

The lingering boundary Thursday night will likely keep some cloud cover around throughout the night and into Friday, along with a small chance for a shower or two Friday morning. Upper-level ridging will then build in Friday pushing afternoon temperatures into the low 90s. But unlike days when the heat builds and we develop a cap on our atmosphere, that won't be the case Friday. While there isn't much aloft to allow and thunderstorms to develop, should we see anything Friday morning those leftover boundaries may be just enough to allow a storm or two to 'pop' during the afternoon and early evening. The best chance for that appears to be more northeast, but something we'll keep an eye on over the next couple of days.

Temperatures through the start of the weekend will climb with highs rising back into the low 90s Friday and Saturday, although the heat index won't be as high as it was during the hot stretch back in June (the 21st-23rd). Peak index values will likely range between 95-100 degrees. Still, with plenty of activities taking place this weekend just remember to take it easy out in the heat.