Upper Midwest, Great Lakes to get final taste of summer heat before cooldown
Cities including Billings in Montana, Chicago and Minneapolis will have the final taste of summer this week as southerly winds spread east, bringing warmer temperatures. Next week, a cold front will bring fall temperatures across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.
Summer isn't done with Upper Midwest, Great Lakes just yet
FOX 6 Milwaukee Chief Meteorologist Rob Haswell joins FOX Weather to talk about the summer-like temperatures forecast for this week before Fall temperatures arrive across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.
CHICAGO – It's the tale of two seasons this week across much of the U.S., with cooler temperatures coming to the West while the Midwest and Plains heat up, creating opposite forecasts for the northern tier.
A ridge of high pressure will shift southerly winds into the Midwest by midweek. (FOX Weather)
In the northern Plains, temperatures started slightly below average last weekend. But by Tuesday, a ridge of high pressure shifted into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.
Winds around the ridge will shift warm southerly winds back into the region, allowing temperatures to begin to warm across the Plains and bringing the final grasp of summer.
Changes are on the horizon for the Midwest as a fall cold front dropping temperatures in the Northwest will make its way east by early next week.
High temperatures forecast across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes through Saturday. (FOX Weather)
IT'S NOT THE HEAT; IT'S THE HUMIDITY: MOISTURE INCREASES HEAT RISK IN URBAN CLIMATES
Omaha, Nebraska, is forecast to see high temperatures near 80 degrees, and Minneapolis will reach the mid-80s on Wednesday.
"Eventually, it's (warm) all across the Upper Midwest and really spreading out; areas like Chicago will get a last little taste of summer as we head into Wednesday," FOX Weather meteorologist Kiyana Lewis said.
High temperatures in the 80s and even lower 90s are possible from the Dakotas to Ohio. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will approach 90 degrees as the heat builds before a big change at the end of the weekend.
Cities including Columbus in Ohio and Minneapolis could see highs in the lower 80s from midweek through Saturday.
Chicago will stay slightly cooler, but not by much. Temperatures are forecast to reach the upper 70s from Wednesday into the weekend for the Windy City.
The FOX Forecast Center said it's not uncommon for temperatures to fluctuate as the seasons change. Computer forecast models suggest these warm temperatures will continue across the region into the weekend before a cooldown next week.
Cooler weather intrudes into the West
First fall storm sweeps across US bringing combination of rain, snow to West
Right on cue, the first real taste of fall will arrive just as we officially kick off astronomical fall. A rather potent storm system will roll into the Western U.S. beginning on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, autumn is coming right on time farther to the west, where the season's first fall storm will not only bring days of soaking rains but a distinct autumn chill. Low temperatures across the northern Rockies and inland Pacific Northwest will drop into the 40s by the weekend – even 30s in the higher elevations, with a risk of snow in the tallest mountain peaks.
As the front treks across the U.S., temperatures in the Upper Midwest will also begin to drop.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will see that temperature change before the weekend is over, with lows remaining in the 50s through next week.