We’ve reached what looks to be the hottest day of the week and possibly the entire summer today as our Independence Day forecast is calling for near record heat and incredibly warm heat indices.  Look for bright sunshine through the afternoon with a slight chance for an isolated thunderstorm or two and high temperatures approaching 100°.  The record high in Rochester today is 98°, which seems in reach, in contrast to most of our records this month that were set in the “Dust Bowl” era and are considerably hotter.  An Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect through today and will remain in effect until 10:00 Friday night when a slightly cooler air mass will begin to sink into the area behind a cold front.  High temperatures tomorrow and Friday will be in the low to mid 90s while readings over the weekend will drop back to more seasonable 80s.

It's going to be a warm, sultry evening for viewing fireworks as heat indices will barely fall from the 90s after sunset and winds will remain light. It's a good idea to pack some water for hydration as well as some insect repellent.

Posted under Holidays

Our current warm spell continues today and will stick around for at least another week as 80s and low 90s appear to be the rule across our area in this weather pattern.  The jet stream aloft has drifted northward, allowing some rather warm air into the region and even behind a cold front today, we’re dealing with some fairly warm weather for our Thursday.  At least the humidity is dropping off for the time being as northwest winds are working to draw in some drier air for today and tonight.  Over the next few days, that humidity will slowly increase as a couple of storm systems slide in from the west and northwest, grazing our area and bringing sparse shower and thunderstorm chances.  Basically, the theme for the next week will be plenty of bright, hot sunshine with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms just about each day with highs in the upper 80s to near 90° as a warm air mass continues to blanket the Upper Midwest.

Warm, dry weather will be the rule for today's weather with sunshine and upper 80s in most spots locally.

The jet stream will hover near the U.S.-Canadian border, allowing warm air to dominate our region while a series of weak storm systems will graze the area, producing chances for some scattered showers and thunderstorms off and on through next week.

Posted under heat, weather

Below are the reported rainfall amounts to the NWS in La Crosse from July 4th through 7 AM July 5th. The heaviest rains fell in northeastern Iowa, with lesser amounts further north and west into southeast Minnesota.

With the juicy airmass in place, a stationary front meandering nearby, and waves of energy moving along that front, shower and rumble chances will stick around for probably the next 2-3 days. The activity will be scattered for the most part; any of the storms that pop could drop heavy rain.

Posted under Holidays, rainfall amounts