It's no joke when I say that summer was in full force this past weekend. The combination of mixed sunshine and strong south-southwesterly surface flow allowed daily highs to land on either side of the 90-degree mark both Saturday and Sunday.
However, with dew point values in the low to mid 70s, it felt much warmer than that with heat index values approaching the triple-digit mark Sunday afternoon. As we now enter the new work week, this extreme heat looks to show no signs of slowing down. Along for the ride comes a daily chance for thunderstorms, some of which could be strong to severe.
Monday kicks off with a chance for showers and thunderstorms as an area of low-pressure swings in from the west-northwest. The activity that comes along for the ride looks to be more widespread in nature with low severe chances. Before leaving the house this morning, I would make sure to have your rain gear, especially your umbrella, on hand just to be on the safe side. Moving forward into this afternoon, the combination of this low-pressure system and a warm front draped over northern Illinois will allow for a second round of showers and thunderstorms. This time around will have a better shot at severe storms.
For this reason, the Storm Prediction Center has upgraded a portion of the Stateline, mainly east and south of the Rockford metro, to a Slight Risk (level 1 of 5) for severe weather earlier this morning. The highest severe potential will be between 2PM-11PM, with the biggest concerns being damaging straight-line winds and an isolated tornado or two. Once we approach the midnight hour, storm chances should be winding down area-wide, with partly to mostly cloudy skies remaining into Tuesday morning.
Tuesday will be another day to keep your eyes on the sky, as a surging cold front will help pop up strong to severe storms during the afternoon. Ahead of this frontal boundary, the surface pressure-gradient tightens up, allowing southwest winds to gust upwards of 20-25 mph.
This will help push our daily highs back into the low 90s, with dew point temperatures returning to the low to mid 70s. The combination of the two will allow for a sweltering afternoon, with heat index values near or over the 100° mark. Along with heat safety, severe weather preparation will be a main priority, as thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening will bring the threat for damaging straight-line winds and heavy downpours. For this reason, the Storm Prediction Center has placed the entire Stateline under a Slight Risk (level 2 of 5) for severe weather.
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