A heat wave looks to begin Thursday, followed by a worsening of the heat into the weekend. A few random storms will increase during the weekend, followed by more widespread rainfall, then some slight relief from the high humidity & heat.
The NWS released a detailed radar showing what’s expected....
TONIGHT:
A few spotty showers/thunder showers will continue to be possible into evening, followed by areas of fog developing.
A large complex or two of storms with some severe weather & lots of flash flooding will pass southwest & south of us through Missouri & southern Illinois & Indiana. This will only enhance the oppressive heat ahead as our winds will be blowing off all of that saturated, flooded ground, carrying moisture to evaporate into the heat. Add the rapidly-growing & even tasseling corn & lush vegetation into the mix (from all of the rain) & it all equals very high humidity as heat from the Southwest U.S. & Mexico overspreads our area. Temperatures at 5,000' will climb to near 80, signaling intense heat over the area Saturday-Sunday.
The moisture & lush vegetation will keep it at 90-95, rather than surging to like 95-100.
THURSDAY --FRIDAY NIGHT:
Tomorrow will be the first day of the heat wave with highs around 90 & heat indices to 96 after mid 60s in the morning. With sunshine & some clouds, an isolated t'storm may pop in our southwestern half of the viewing area. Bad thing about tomorrow is that there will just not be much wind at all. It will run calm in the morning to south to southwest the rest of the day at 4-6 mph.
After only 72 tomorrow night, Friday will feature sunshine with some clouds bubbling up & nothing more than an isolated t'storm. Highs will run near 93 with the heat index to 106.
Lows Friday night will only drop to near 75.
THE WEEKEND:
The weekend looks oppressively hot with sunshine, cumulus towers bubbling up & a few scattered t'storms popping. Highs will run near 94 with the heat index to 110. Given that kind of intense heating & the fact that this hot air, although loaded with water near the ground, it will be dry around 3,000 to 4,000', an isolated wet downburst could pop out of a couple of storms. This would bring a random Severe T'Storm Warning seemingly out of no where or no warning at all, as these storms blow up, belch out their rain & downburst & collapse.
SUNDAY NIGHT-WEDNESDAY & BEYOND:
More widespread t'storms are possible either Sunday evening-night &/or Monday.
Slight relief will arrive Tuesday-Wednesday with highs of 84-89, but it will still be humid. Currently, July 4th looks partly cloudy & humid with highs near 87, followed by the potential of some scattered t'storms Wednesday night.
There are continuing signs that the heat wave may return beyond July 4.
Count on a change in the pattern after around July 10 with below normal temperatures for a while (normal high/low for that time: 86/65).
94.1 WGFA / courtesy NWS
