Brief break in the heat and humidity Wednesday

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Good Wednesday morning! Today is not going to be as hot or humid. Highs will be near or just below average. The heat and humidity will quickly return for the end of the workweek. Plus, there will be some on and off rain shower and storm chances through the start of the weekend. Right now, it looks like our best chances for rain will be on Thursday and Saturday.

Wednesday will be partly to mostly cloudy and hazy. Smoke from the wildfires that are burning in the Pacific Northwest and Canada will continue to filter over the upper Midwest. The Air Quality Alert that was issued on Tuesday was allowed to expire at midnight. The cold front that passed through on Tuesday will bring in a brief cool down and drier air. Temperatures will top out in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees Wednesday afternoon. The average high for today is 82 degrees. With dew point temperatures only near 60 degrees, it is not going to feel as humid or as uncomfortable outside. Today’s rain chances are pretty much as low as they go without officially being zero. A stray shower or storm can’t be ruled across our western counties near the Mississippi River.

The same cold front that will bring in the brief cool down on Wednesday will return as a warm front on Thursday. This will bring an increase in the heat and humidity to southern Wisconsin and a chance for rain showers and storms on Thursday. Highs on Thursday will be in the mid to upper 80s. Dew point temperatures will be back into the mid to upper 60s. We’ll be feeling the humidity Thursday afternoon. The higher humidity levels could add a few degrees to the actual air temperature. Max feels like temperatures will be a few degrees above the actual air temperature.

Friday will be even hotter. Highs on Friday will be near 90 degrees. With dew point temperatures in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees, max heat indices could be in the lower 90s. Most of the area will have to beat the heat, while a few will be cooled off by a downpour or storm. A few rain showers and storms will be possible Friday afternoon.

The heat and humidity will stick around for the upcoming weekend. Highs on Saturday will be in the upper 80s to near 90 degrees. The best chance of rain this week looks like it is going to come this weekend. Scattered to widely scattered rain showers and storms will be possible on Saturday. This weekend will not be a washout, though. There will be plenty of dry time on Sunday. Sunday looks like a dry day from this distance.

The start of next week looks hot. Highs on Monday and Tuesday will be near 90 degrees. Slight rain chances could return next week as well.

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