High Pressure Keeps Us Dry into Wednesday, Heat & Humidity Slowly Rise

Big Bubble, No Trouble:

With an area of high pressure sitting comfortably to our north, this weekend was a sun-filled one with temperatures climbing into the low to mid 80s. Here's an interesting fact for you. The last we saw a two-day stretch that featured as much sunshine was back on the 4th and 5th of July. With really no change in our weather pattern, another sun-filled day lies ahead for the start of the work week. 

Hazy, Sunny, and Warmer:

A very dry atmosphere overhead has brought a comfortable start to our Monday, with a few of our local airports falling into the 50s. While it may look cloudy on your way out, that's not cloud cover we're dealing with this morning. That my friends is the large amount of wildfire smoke that is sitting higher up in the atmosphere. With the way the sun's rays filter through the wildfire smoke, the sun will will have a reddish tint to it as it rises.

Monday remains hazy, but we hold onto the sunshine into the afternoon. Similar to the past few days, a few fair-weather cumulus clouds will likely pop up during the afternoon. Even though our high temperatures will end up a few degrees warmer this afternoon, our humidity levels will not be too much of an issue for any outdoor activities. I would just be mindful of the harm that the sun's rays can bring to one's skin, especially between 11AM-4PM. With only a few clouds expected during the afternoon, today's UV Index is sitting at a 9, which equals a burn time for 15 minutes. High pressure will continue to remain in place overnight, allowing for another hazy but sunny start to our Tuesday.

Feeling More Like Summer:

Tuesday features our next chance at seeing a 90° high, which it verifies would make for the 4th 90-degree day this month. Guidance does introduce a slim chance late for an isolated thunderstorm or two, but much of the daylight hours look to remain dry. A backdoor cold front will be the main focus on Wednesday, which will result in a few more clouds and slightly cooler highs. 

But this frontal boundary won't track too far away from the Stateline as it's expected to lift back northward as a warm front. By sunrise Thursday morning, this frontal boundary was shown sitting to our north, with our surface winds shifting to the southwest. These warm southwesterly winds will not only bring back the potential for a few more 90° highs, but it will also make it feel much more humid by the end of the work week. So yes, you'll likely need to turn on your A/C units and have them on high for much of the week.