Summer Not Giving Up Just Yet!

Who would have thought we could go from a "taste of fall" to a late summer "heat wave" in just 48 hours? That is what mother nature has in the works for the Stateline as we head into the beginning of the work week. Yesterday, our high of 65° (13 degrees below average) actually occurred at midnight. That's because the rest of the our Sunday featured cloudy skies, a few morning showers, and chilly winds out of the east. That is the coolest high observed at the airport since May 21st, where we only hit 56°.

As you wake up this morning, we have a few passing showers sweeping through the region. These showers are very light in nature, and shouldn't cause any disruptions to your morning commute. As warm air continues to rise in from the southwest, plenty of moisture will allow chances for showers and maybe an isolated thunderstorm to stretch into the early afternoon. So it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the umbrella on hand as you head out the door.

Most of the activity should be done between noon and 2 PM leaving skies partly to mostly cloudy through the rest of our Monday. Winds out of the east this morning will become more southeasterly as the day progresses. It could be breezy at times as these southeasterlies could gust as high as 20 mph. Overall, this should help warm up our high temperatures today into the mid 70s. You'll also notice the humidity rising as the day goes on. Dew point temperatures will rise back into the mid 60s by this evening. Most of the severe risk with a lifting warm front will stay off towards the west. The Storm Prediction Center has placed portions of western Wisconsin, northern Iowa, and southern Minnesota are under a slight risk (level 2 of 5). This is where the highest risk for severe weather will be this afternoon and evening.

But closer to home, a majority of the viewing area is under a general risk or non-severe thunderstorm risk. Most of the activity should stay to the northwest and north of the region. But a few isolated thunderstorms could track into far northwest illinois and southern Wisconsin late tonight into the morning tomorrow. After the warm front passes through tomorrow morning, summer makes a return to the region as highs jump into the upper 80's starting tomorrow and stretching into Thursday. When you add in the dew points, heat index values could climb into the low 90s. So prepare for the heat by having multiple methods to stay hydrated. The next few days also include a chance for thunderstorms. Most of the threats will stay isolated. The best chance for storm activity continues to be Thursday evening into Thursday night ahead of a approaching cold front. This cold frontal passage will also put an end to this little "heat wave" as highs drop back down into the mid-70s by Friday.