Quick Uptick in Heat & Humidity Ahead of Cooler Air-Mass

Thanks to additional cloud cover this morning, our "hump" day began on a warmer note. Temperatures for most locations ended up in the upper 60s, a good 5° to 10° degrees warmer from low temperatures on Tuesday morning. This just goes to show how much of an influence cloud cover has on our temperatures.

Yesterday under mostly clear skies, a few spot did manage to drop into the upper 50s. But when there is a good amount of cloud cover around, it makes it hard for some of that radiation observed by the surface to "radiate" back into the atmosphere. That was the case this morning, leading to the warmer start. With that being said, you'll definitely notice an uptick in humidity this afternoon. Dew points continue to climb through Wednesday as a slow-moving front pushes through the Stateline. This could also lead to an isolated shower or thunderstorm.

As this "backdoor" cold front sinks down from the north, it will provide enough lift for a few pop-up showers and thunderstorms to form. Hi-res models this morning remained consistent, keeping the best chances to see one around the I-88 corridor between 1PM to 5PM. However, today will not be a total washout. Despite today's rain chances, our Wednesday does feature many dry hours under a partly sunny sky. You'll also notice a jump in humidity this afternoon, as dew points climb to near the 70 degree-mark before cooling off as the cold front slides through. After this cold front slides through, this will begin a stretch of cooler weather that looks to stretch into beginning of August.

As a strong ridge of high pressure develops over the Rockies, this will help confine the heat to the west. As for the Stateline, we'll remain underneath a large trough. Meteorologically speaking, troughs help spiral in cooler air from Canada, and even from the arctic circle. This will be the main reason behind the cooler weather we see heading into the first few days of August.

High temperatures through the weekend will remain in the low 80s, with dew points remaining comfortable in the upper 50s and low 60s. There is also the potential to see highs in the upper 70s by the start of next week. For the Rockford area, it's been quite some time since we've observed a high in the 70s. We would have to go back to June 25th, where the airport observed a high of 78°. If that's not enough, cooler night are also likely with a few days starting out in the upper 50s.