Excessive heat warning issued for some

Extreme Heat Continues:

For a majority of the summer, mother nature has been extremely kind to us by keeping the temperature and humidity departments under control. However, it was only a matter of time before she threw a little more heat and humidity our way. Despite having severe thunderstorms and cloud cover all morning long, highs for a few peaked in the low 90s.

Heat Advisory:

This was only the beginning as the extreme heat will continue to be the big headline as we round out the work week. So much so that the National Weather Service expanded the heat alerts to now include the entire region. McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, Jo-Daviess, Carroll, Ogle, and Dekalb counties will be under a HEAT ADVISORY until 9PM Friday. The remaining two counties, Lee and Whiteside, will be under a EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING until 9PM Friday as well. 

With bright sunshine and a light southeasterly wind on tap for the Stateline, high temperatures today look to peak in the low to mid 90s. Areas under the heat advisory could see heat index values approach or even eclipse the 100-degree mark. 

Those to our south that are under the excessive heat warning could see even higher values, closer to 110°. Friday will be just as warm and just as humid, with highs peaking in the mid to upper 90s. Again, if you plan to be out during the afternoon and evening hours, remember to implement heat safety. You can beat the excessive heat by wearing light colored clothing, taking frequent breaks in the shade, and of course remaining hydrated. 

Storms Still Possible:

The thunderstorm threat today will be highest across portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. But in a similar fashion to Wednesday morning, we'll have to keep an eye on where these storms track overnight. Guidance does bring a slight chance for a few isolated storms late Thursday night into Friday morning. Overall, the severe threat is low. But if any storm were to remain severe as it track into the region, damaging straight-line winds will be the biggest concern. 

The severe threat ramps up a bit for Friday afternoon into Friday night as a low pressure system and it's associate cold front slide in from the northwest. The Storm Prediction Center has kept the entire area under a level 2 slight risk, with winds and hail again being the biggest concern. 

Post cold front, highs will cool back into the low to mid 80s for the weekend. Along with the cooler weather comes more sunshine as high pressure builds over the Great Lakes.