Heat and humidity expected next week

 

From one extreme to the next, our temperatures are going to make a drastic jump in just a little under a week. Until then, skies will be filled with a little more cloud cover late Wednesday night and Thursday as another low pressure system moves in from the Plains. Like the last storm system, this one will also pass to our south late Thursday night.

Clouds will continue to increase through the night Wednesday, leading into Thursday morning. Dry air initially will help keep the rain at bay through the first half of the day, but rain showers are expected to move in by the afternoon and evening. Scattered showers will continue through the night Thursday, into Friday before coming to an end Friday evening.

High pressure will move in, first to our west, Friday night before crossing the Stateline Saturday afternoon. This will help leave our skies partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 60s. Upper level ridging will then build in over the Midwest and Great Lakes Saturday night and Sunday. Southerly winds under the ridge Sunday will bring highs in the upper 60s, to near 70 degrees, depending on cloud cover. Mid-day Sunday there is an upper level disturbance that'll move in from the west and southwest, brushing northwest Illinois during the afternoon. This may cause us to see a little more cloud cover for the afternoon, as well as a chance for a shower or two.

Following Sunday, a strong ridge of high pressure is then set to build in over the middle of the country as a strong blocking pattern develops. This blocking pattern will cause an area of low pressure to develop over the Southeast while another low develops over the West Coast. 

In the middle, the jet steam is forced north all the way into Canada. A very unseasonably warm air mass is forecast to move in the Midwest and Great Lakes with a quick jump in temperatures early next week. 

 Highs are forecast to warm into the low 80s Monday and Tuesday, possibly middle 80s by next Wednesday! Record high temperatures during that time sit in the low 90s.

One thing we may have to keep an eye on next week is the overall placement of the jet stream. We will be very close to the western fringe of the upper level ridge, which is typically where the more active storm track resides. This could lead to a little

more cloud cover during the week, along with the chance for a few showers and thunderstorms. Along with the rise in the heat will also be the rise in humidity as dew point temperatures are also expected to climb, which could make next week feel somewhat humid! Since this would be our first real taste of humidity this year, it could actually feel somewhat uncomfortable if the dew points rise high enough.