Justin Liles: Who cranked up the heat?

If you thought the thermostat was all the way up, please stand corrected. It goes higher and Thursday’s temperatures will be the warmest. The heat really cranks up today and Thursday with highs in the 80s and 90s (cooler by Lake Superior). Heat index values in the 90s to around 100 degrees will be common in the hottest locations. The heat indices are so high because the dewpoints are so high. With all the moisture hanging around there will be a few chances of thunderstorms, some of these could become rather strong storms. Thursday afternoon and evening will likely be the worst.

Large hail, strong winds, potential flash flooding, and frequent lightning will be the biggest threats. As of now, the worst looks to be between 3pm and 6pm Thursday afternoon from Duluth southward through east central MN and west central WI. Following the storms there will be a cooler stretch through the weekend. Heat as well as storms look to return by the begging to end of next week. Wildfire smoke may return next week too.

TONIGHT
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4am. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 64. East wind around 5 mph.
THURSDAY
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Northwest wind around 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
FRIDAY
A slight chance of thunderstorms before 7am. Increasing clouds, with a high near 74. Breezy, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
SATURDAY
Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
SUNDAY
Sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
MONDAY
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
TUESDAY
A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
WEDNESDAY
A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.