Hot & Humid Tuesday, Strong Storms Possible Overnight

The Stateline was greeted to a beautiful sunrise to kick off our Tuesday as skies remained mostly clear overnight. Temperatures for those early morning commute started out seasonably mild, but comfortably in the upper 60s-low 70s. Just to put this into perspective, these temperatures are what we expect for average highs for the beginning and middle of May. This warm start is going to lead to a hot and humid day across the region, one in which could feature out first 90° day of 2020.

This actually aligns pretty well with climatology, as Rockford observes it's first 90°+ temperature on average on June 5th. The mostly clear start we saw this morning will lead to a few more clouds this afternoon. However, still remaining partly sunny for a good chunk of our daylight hours. Our southwesterly surface flow is expected to ramp up a bit more as we roll into the afternoon, gusting upwards of 20-25 mph at times. This will help pull northward a very warm and moist air mass, leading to highs hovering around the 90° mark for most locations.

When you take into account the humidity, it could actually feel more like the mid to upper 90s at times this afternoon and evening. If you are one who is going to be spending time outdoors, or is working outdoors today, take the necessary precautions to keep yourself safe from heat exhaustion and even heat stroke. It is important to limit strenuous outdoor activity as much as possible during hot days like today, while also staying hydrated. Bring plenty of water with you if you are someone who is going to be working outdoors today. And don't forget the most important heat safety rule of them all, NEVER leave your pets or children unattended in vehicles during said conditions. They are family too. 

As this heat and humidity builds throughout the afternoon, storms will begin to fire after 6PM this evening across the Upper Midwest. Storm mode may be discrete at first, but will then be quick to congeal into a line of thunderstorms or what we call an M.C.S (Mesoscale Convective System). This complex will track along the jet stream southeastward towards southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois during the overnight hours. Although the higher severe threat exists to our northwest and north, I would still have ways to receive watches & warnings during the overnight hours. Since the Stateline is located on the southern end of the severe threat, a few storms locally may pose a threat for damaging winds and heavy downpours. The storm and rain threat should diminish by the mid to late morning hours tomorrow, leaving partly sunny skies for the rest of our Wednesday!