Heat and potential storms return following brief break from higher humidity

Drier air following a surface cold front and upper-level trough will bring a brief return of less humid conditions Wednesday and Thursday as afternoon temperatures remain in the low to mid 80s.

Under mostly clear skies Tuesday night temperatures will fall into the mid-60s. The combination of light winds, clear skies and lingering low level moisture means the potential for some patchy fog overnight. We're already beginning to see some of that develop just to our west. It doesn't look to be widespread, dense fog but in some of the open and rural areas visibility could be reduced some through sunrise. So, remember to take it slow during the morning commute.

High pressure will slide to our north Wednesday and Thursday with afternoon temperatures warming into the low to mid 80s. Dew points will remain in the low 60s giving us a nice little break from some of the higher humidity the last several days. Late Thursday night winds will turn back to the southeast pulling in not only warmer air, but also more moisture. This will likely lead to some thunderstorms west and northwest of the Mississippi River early Friday. As a warm front lifts north throughout the day afternoon temperatures will warm into the upper 80s. The heat index, though, will reach the mid-90s. Another push of warm air will return Saturday bringing afternoon temperatures to 90 degrees but the heat index in the upper 90s, close to 100. The humid conditions are likely to continue through Sunday.

A strong ridge of high pressure building across the southern states will push the jet stream north, bringing the heat north into the weekend. But it'll also set the stage for more of an active pattern for thunderstorms, a few strong storms with very heavy rainfall. Our storm chances don't look too great for the start of the weekend, but could increase with the arrival of a cold front late Saturday night and Sunday morning. This boundary then becomes stationary and stalls as the upper-level ridge shifts to the west and an upper-level trough moves into the Northeast and eastern Canada. This will allow a more active northwest flow from the Plains into the Midwest, possibly impacting at least parts of the Stateline through early next week.