Good Monday, everyone. We have a full blown heat wave on the way for the second half of the week into the upcoming weekend. With the soggy ground finally drying out some, temps later this week may be the hottest we’ve had since the summer of 2012.

Before we get there, we do have a cold front on top of the region today. This front will give us the chance for scattered showers and storms…

Temps today will be in the low and middle 80s for many, with some upper 80s west and far south.

Temps on Tuesday start to take off. Highs will be near 90 west with mid and upper 80s across the central and east. There is still a small chance for a storm or two.

The setup from Wednesday into the weekend is a hot one…

A massive heat wave will build eastward into the Ohio Valley. Highs will likely jump deep into the 90s with a shot at 100 in the west. The heat index numbers may hit advisory criteria across the entire region.

This setup is a far cry from the setup we’ve had for the first half of summer. June was a cooler than normal month around here, and the first half of July featured cooler than normal highs and warmer than normal lows…

Obviously, that’s going to change in a hurry with the temps coming this week.

How long will the heat wave last? The models suggest, not very. That northwesterly flow of thunderstorms is delayed from my earlier thinking, but it’s not denied. The models show it coming back late this weekend into next week, with a nice push of cool to boot…

Here’s the GFS expanded through the start of August…

Have a great Monday and take care.