Hot & Humid Pattern Continues

It was a muggy start this morning with temperatures in the mid 60's dew points were in the upper 50's and low 60's. And now, those dew points are into the low 60's which is a very summer like feel. Dew points are a measure of the amount of moisture in the atmosphere, and right now we have quite a bit of it.

That will help with the daily rainfall potential in the Stateline, rain is possible through Sunday but not every day will be a washout.

 Overnight strong to severe storms tracked through Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas with Severe Storm Watches, Warnings, and even Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma. The storms have been waning just before sunrise this morning, essentially outrunning the 'forcing' available to sustain them.
That forcing keeps the severe threat west of northern Illinois, and stretches through portions on Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma. The forcing arrives from divergence in the jet stream in this area. Divergence is when winds speed up and spread out after slowing down when they traveled around the base of a trough that is in the plains. Divergence allows for lift in the atmosphere which then helps to sustain storms. More instability is available to the west, so this is the area that we will be watching for strong to severe thunderstorms to take place, though we can't rule out a couple stronger storms for northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin today, we'd likely see a few heavy downpours and a few stronger wind gusts.

Thursday will be hot and humid, with dew points still in the mid 60's and highs in the upper 80's and close to 90°. Heat index values in the low 90's are also possible so make sure to stay hydrated!

More widespread rain arrives on Friday once again, with temperatures in the 80's. Hit or miss rain through the holiday weekend but definitely not a wash out. Perfect weather to find an open pool!