Now that summer has officially arrived in the Quad Cities Mother Nature will be dialing up the thermostat this week as we see one of the most potent stretches of heat arrives in the Midwest.
The active storm track that has resulted in all of the rainfall recently will move a little further north by Wednesday morning allowing more potent heat and humidity to enter the Quad Cities. The combination of these two factors will send the heat index climbing into the 90s for several days this week, especially Wednesday and beyond into next weekend.
There will be some small rain chances that could bring some needed relief to the heat by the time Friday rolls around. That’s when the jet stream to our north will sag a bit further south and bring us occasional storm clusters. Another storm cluster is likely to arrive before the heat begins on Wednesday with that system bringing back storm chances Tuesday evening. A few of those storms could bring wind and hail depending on what dynamics can line up.
Locally heavy rainfall will also continue to be likely with storms on Monday and Tuesday. Both Wednesday and Thursday look mainly dry with very little chance for any precipitation. These two days are when you’ll want to mow the lawn or finish up any remaining outdoor activities. The atmosphere will likely be “capped” off. This occurs when a warm layer of air aloft suppresses thunderstorm development. That cap will likely break late Thursday night and especially on Friday when more widespread shower and storm activity is expected.
We won’t be the only ones seeing the hotter weather. Heat index values above 90 degrees will stretch from the Dakotas to parts of New York by the end of the week sending many of us running for the air conditioning. The stretch of hot weather is expected to continue until the first of July. That’s when a break is likely to arrive with more shower and storm activity.
Meteorologist Andrew Stutzke
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