Sunshine returns tomorrow with warmer weather to follow

A passing cold front overnight into this morning has shifted much of the rain and storms down across Central Illinois. We have seen a few very isolated sprinkles near and South of I-88, but many remained dry through Wednesday afternoon under overcast skies. That also kept a lid on our temperatures, with many spots only reaching the upper 70s.

But the cold front is bringing in cooler and more comfortable air. This will clear out much of the cloud cover by tomorrow morning, allowing for a cooler and pleasant night with overnight lows in the upper 50s for some.

High pressure moving in following the cold front will keep us relatively cool and clear for a few more days, with afternoon highs slowly climbing one day into the next through the weekend. Perfect weather for the Lee County fair that kicks off Thursday. Our next rain chances move in by Sunday as heat and humidity begins to build back in.

Surface high pressure is also characterized by weak steering and flow aloft, which will act to keep our smoke and haze around a bit longer into next few days. Much of this smoke will be aloft and not down near the surface, but it will bring a hazy look to our skies with more vibrant sunrises and sunsets in the days ahead.

Following our surface high pressure moving out by Sunday, ridging aloft will build to the West and shift closer. This will also bring a more active pattern our way with an active WNW pattern of flow aloft. Higher storm chances will be the result, as we will likely be along the leading edge of this ridge. Heat and humidity will also return given the close proximity of the ridge.

Hot and humid weather will be the story starting Sunday onward, with near daily storm chances. Each threat for storms is a little uncertain as to exactly when it moves in, but a few small disturbances in the atmosphere will aid to bring in potential complexes of storms at times starting Monday. In advance of this, high pressure keeps us sunny and comfortable for a few more days, with afternoon highs slowly climbing each day through the weekend.