August to exit on a warm, dry note

A sluggish front hung up across Chicago for several days has spawned repeat waves of potent showers and thunderstorms. While the city proper has escaped the bulk of the rain since last Thursday’s dousing, surrounding areas have not, with a trail of storm damage from northwest Illinois to northwest Indiana. All that should change by Tuesday as the front finally exits the region.
On Monday, rain should target downstate and brush the south suburbs. By Tuesday high pressure should depresses the rain south of the Ohio River, ensuring sunny, warm and less humid weather for the final days of August and meteorological summer 2006.
While Chicago’s weather improves with time, Gulf Coast residents are in a state of heightened alert as strengthening Tropical Storm Ernesto churns west through the Caribbean threatening to become a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.
-Steve Kahn-WGN-TV Meteorologist