Happy Thursday!

Jamie called it the current set-up the “steam machine” and I don’t think I’ve heard anything more appropriate. Springfield reached a heat index of at least 110° for the fourth day in a row, and there’s a good chance we can make it to days five and six! By Friday, the brutal heat will come to an end.

There’s not much change in the day-to-day pattern. But with the center of the “heat dome” retreating off to the southwest, it will become a little easier for clouds to bubble up into showers. While most areas will remain dry Thursday afternoon, a few isolated showers look possible.

Muggy conditions won’t improve much this week, but we will see a noticeable improvement by the end of the weekend.

The improvement comes as the heat dome retreats into the Southwest allowing a series of fronts to move through. The first won’t clear out the humidity, but we should see an increase in clouds and a boost in shower and thunderstorm chances from Saturday into Sunday. The remnants of “Harold” will also play a role in boosting rain chances Sunday.

Drier air will work in Monday along with cooler temperatures. An early fall feel will settle in for the first half of next week.