Remaining Hot & Muggy, Big Changes Arrive Behind Wednesday's Cold Front

Hot Fourth of July:

As we alluded to all last week, the heat and humidity would make a big return by the 4th of July weekend. And boy did it ever. Temperatures fell short of the 90° mark Saturday, but had no issues returning to the 90s on Sunday. This was the first time that our daily high temperature climbed into the low 90s in nearly two weeks, and more heat’s still to come.

Remaining Hot & Muggy:

With us being on the warmer side of a cold front, southwest winds at the surface will help keep this hot and muggy air-mass in place until the front slides through Wednesday morning. Winds today, especially late this morning into mid afternoon, will have an opportunity to approach 25-30 mph. That, along with the hazy sunshine that we'll see throughout the day will help send temperatures soaring back into the 90s for the fifteenth time this year. As the first of two cold fronts slides into central and southern Wisconsin, this will provide enough lift for a few storms to pop up late in the afternoon into the evening.

Severe-wise, the "highest" threat today lies to our north and northwest across northeastern Iowa and central/southern Wisconsin. That is where the Storm Prediction Center has placed a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) for severe weather, with strong winds and heavy downpours being the biggest concern. With the east-southeast movement of these thunderstorms, a stray thunderstorm or two may wind up here in northern Illinois. For that, the Storm Prediction Center has left a majority of the region under a "general" risk, meaning severe weather is not expected.

Saying Goodbye to the Heat: 

This cold front in particular is expected to fizzle out before reaching the Stateline, leaving us warm & muggy into our Tuesday. With temperatures starting out on either side of the 70° mark, it won't take much for highs to soar back into the low 90s. Winds tomorrow won't nearly be as strong, but they will still be out of the southwest, with gusts occasionally pushing 15-20 mph. 

Again, a a stray thunderstorm or two is possible late in the day, but the better thunderstorm chances remain to our north along a secondary boundary. As this frontal boundary slides through early Wednesday morning, it’ll bring the area a noticeable relief from the heat and humidity by late in the day. Our daily highs will drop from the low 90s to the upper 70s for both Wednesday and Thursday, a good 10° to 15° cooler. All-in-all, we just have to get through 2 more days of this hot and muggy stretch before the air becomes a bit more comfortable.