Final day of dry weather for a while

WSIL(Carterville, Ill.)-- This morning, we are tracking temperatures that are much warmer than they were 24 hours ago; most location are in the mid to upper 50s and lower 60s. Skies this morning are mostly clear.

Today will be the final day of dry weather for the foreseeable future. Temperatures by the midday hours should climb into the lower 80s, and highs will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s area wide. Humidity levels will be slightly higher today, but still comfortable with dew points running around 55 to 60 degrees.

Skies will be mostly sunny through most of the day today, but after 6 or 7 this evening, we will start to see a few clouds build into the area associated with Hurricane Francine. Skies should be mostly cloudy through the overnight hours and we will be overcast to kick off our Thursday. Despite the cloud cover, we will see dry conditions tonight and for the morning commute.

A few isolated showers are possible late tomorrow morning through the early afternoon, but the best chance pf rain will likely hold off until after 3PM tomorrow. After 3PM, the heavier rain bands associated with Francine will move into our southern counties. These bands will track north and widespread rain is expected Thursday night into Friday.

As these bands move through the region, there is the potential for breezy conditions with winds sustained at 15 to 20 miles per hour and gusts possibly as high as 35 miles per hour. As far as severe weather is concerned, the risk is extremely low, but not zero. Any severe weather risk should remain to our south.

Widespread rain will linger through most of the day on Friday, but these chances will become more hit and miss during the late afternoon and evening.

Hit and miss storm chances will last through the weekend, thanks to a trough and moisture that will linger. However, rain chances should decrease as the weekend progresses.

When all is set and done, northern areas could broadly see 2 to 3 inches and further south, we could see 2 to 4 inches, with locally higher amounts possible.

Flash Flooding will be a concern with the first few rounds of rain, but due to the drought, substantial flash flooding is not a concern.