Cooler Temps Stick Around Today, Warm Up Begins Friday

If you're like me and love these cooler summer days, we'll have another to enjoy today. But if you love the summer time heat, wait no further. Temperatures are expected to climb back to normal by tomorrow, and even close to the 90° over the weekend.

Now let me start by saying, this area of high pressure over the Midwest and The Great Lakes has been putting in some work. This has been the weather system that has help keep the region dry and comfortable over the past few days. The good news, this will continue to keep us dry today, as well as keep the cooler than average patter around for the afternoon. This morning's sun-filled start will give way to a few passing clouds, as an upper-level disturbance moves into the region from the northwest. If anyone were to see a pop-up shower or two as of a result of this disturbance, its our areas closer to the Mississippi River. Otherwise, we'll have filtered sunshine throughout the day, and comfortable humidity during the second half of the day, making for another awesome day to head outdoors. Temperatures wise, we'll be slightly warmer with highs falling just short of the 80° mark, as winds will stay out of the south-southeast.

As far as the end of the work week, you'll begin to notice a slight uptick in the heat and humidity. Trust me when I say that this is only just the start of what's to come for the weekend. As this area of  high pressure slides a bit further to the east, south-southeast winds will continue to pull in slightly warmer and more humid air. Dew points by Friday evening will approach the upper 50s and low 60s, bringing a "muggy" or "sticky" feel to the air. High temperatures are expected to climb into the low 80s by Friday afternoon, which is average for August 7th. Due to how dry the atmosphere will be by tomorrow morning, we'll look to start out with another sun-filled start. Models this morning continued to show a dry day overall for Friday, with a few clouds building in by the afternoon.

Temperatures, thanks to the jet stream lifting north, will climb back into the upper 80s by Saturday afternoon, with the greater potnetial to hit the 90° mark on Sunday. Dew points are still expected to climb into the low 70s Saturday through Monday, allowing the heat index to climb close to 100° on Sunday, and into the low 90s Monday. Along with the return of the summer heat, thunderstorm chances make a comeback. Overall, chances remain isolated for Saturday, with better chances remaining for Sunday afternoon, and Monday ahead of an approaching cold front. Now, were not expecting a washout, but just be prepared to head indoors when thunder roars.