Chance of Rain Wednesday, Cooler Friday.

Our day got off to a relatively pleasant start this morning, but as the high/low map on the right shows, things have really heated up this afternoon. Barring any surprises, this should be the hottest day of this week even though we have more triple digit temperatures in the forecast for Wednesday and also Thursday.

Our day also began with a few, spotty showers and storms this morning and there is a chance of a few more of those later tonight and to start the day on Wednesday. A better chance still looks to be later Wednesday and into that night when a system in the NW flow aloft will be moving across the state. Don't get your hopes up too high though as the chances of any one location receiving measurable rainfall will be on the order of 20% for later tonight and 30% for the afternoon/evening/night time hours. Those storms that do form will be capable of dropping brief, locally heavy rains and possibly some locally damaging down burst winds may also occur.

Temperatures will be tricky due to some cloud cover and a weak frontal boundary that will be moving across the state on Thursday. Right now, it appears we will have enough sunshine for daytime highs to be back near triple digits on Wednesday after starting off in the 70s. Thursday morning should also be in the 70s but the timing of the cool front is not being handled very consistently. Also, the cooler air will not really arrive till Friday anyway, so Thursday afternoon should also be near triple digits.

After that, the latest and greatest guidance suggests that this coming Friday should see temperatures well below 100 across the entire area for a change. However, bright sunny skies and a brisk NE wind will still produce an enhanced fire danger. Saturday looks to get off to a pleasant start and things will be warming back up through the weekend and into early next week. There is only a slight chance of showers/storms by late in the weekend and going into the following week the way things look right now.

So, stay cool, stay tuned, and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot