URBANA — The high temperatures and humidity over central Illinois are expected to continue through Wednesday.
That’s according to Illinois Public Media Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard.
“Unfortunately, over the next five days or so, it’s really going to be pretty hot and uncomfortable,” Pritchard said.
He said showers and thunderstorms Saturday night and Tuesday may offer a small amount of relief from the humidity and drop temperatures around 95 degrees to around 90 degrees.
“Then as we get into the middle and late part of next week, we’ll see a bigger drop in our humidity,” he said.
If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 days? Interesting pattern late June into July with wobbling ridge that’ll deliver waves of excessive heat that shift from the Midwest to the East to the Southwest, while periods of high t-storm activity riding the ridge turn on/off weekly. pic.twitter.com/5ZjflN2lk0
— Andrew Pritchard (@skydrama) June 20, 2024
Heat waves are defined by humidity and unseasonably warm temperatures, Pritchard said. He said summer temperatures five to 10 degrees above the monthly average feel like heat waves.
He said the low temperature at night also matters.
“When we see overnight low temperatures only drop into the middle 70s, that means we don’t really cool off during the overnight, and that can be really rough for our more vulnerable populations. That’s people who don’t have access to air conditioning,” he said.
Pritchard said while it is difficult to forecast multiple months out, the conditions seem ripe for continuous waves of heat.
“The general outlook for this summer across the Midwest looks like we’re going to be dealing with rounds of heat like this, and other periods of storminess where maybe the temperatures fall back just a little bit,” he said.
Pritchard recommends creating a hydration routine, monitoring the forecast during heat waves and avoiding outdoor activities during the hottest times of day.
Emily Hays is a reporter for Illinois Public Media.