By Balint Szalavari–First Alert Meteorologist
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (25 News) – We continue our First Alert Weather Days as dangerous heat and humidity return for the start of the work week. While heat will be one of the main headlines Monday, you will want to keep an eye on the sky as our severe weather chances Monday have increased.
Dangerous Heat This Afternoon
Conditions will be hotter for our Monday than what we felt Sunday. Heat index values as high as 110-115 are possible this afternoon as we will see sunnier conditions throughout the day. This will give us more daytime heating, helping drive temperatures higher. Daytime highs will reach the low to mid 90’s after trending in the upper 70’s for the morning commute with patchy dense fog. Extreme Heat Warnings remain in effect until 9 PM as a result of the heat. If you are sensitive to the heat, try to limit time outdoors if possible. If you need to be outdoors, make sure to stay hydrated and take breaks as needed.
Severe Storms Possible Monday
Monday morning’s latest outlook from the Storm Prediction Center has elevated areas mainly along and north of I-74 to a level 3 out of 5 Enhanced Risk for severe weather today. This means numerous severe storms are possible. Storm chances will be driven by a cold front located over Minnesota early this morning that will be sinking southward throughout the day.
Storm chances will be the greatest during the late afternoon into the evening ahead of the approaching front. Our primary threat with any severe storm will be damaging winds up to 60 miles per and locally heavy rainfall. Hail up to 1″ in diameter is also possible and while the tornado threat is low overall, an isolated spin-up cannot be ruled out.
A Bit Of Relief Starting Tuesday
We will see some relief from the intense heat and humidity on the back end of Monday’s passing cold front. While it will still be humid Tuesday, it will be notably more tolerable as compared to today’s forecast, especially with cooler air mixing in. Highs will trend in the mid 80’s through Thursday with quiet weather before some additional rain chances arrive Friday.
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