ROCKFORD (WREX) — A couple rounds of strong storms head our way between tonight and tomorrow night. In between, be careful with hot and humid weather Saturday afternoon.

Friday evening should stay relatively quiet. Like yesterday, however, we can't rule out an isolated pop-up shower or storm or two. Most spots stay dry and warm with temperatures in the 80s.

Our attention turns toward a round of showers and storms firing up around midnight. These storms may initially bring 60 mph wind gusts, then the main threat becomes heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding. 

While hard to pinpoint currently, storms may repeatedly hit the same spots with heavy downpours. This is where isolated flash flooding may occur. If you are out late tonight, do not drive through any flooded roads if you encounter them. 

The storms slowly leave after 3 am. Saturday should dry out as the morning goes along.

The big story for the daytime hours of Saturday will be the heat. Hot temperatures around 90 degrees are coming, along with very humid air. 

The high humidity makes conditions feel like 100 degrees or hotter. The worst of the heat index occurs between noon and 8 pm, so take it easy, drink lots of water, and find ways to stay cool (preferably in the air conditioning).

A Heat Advisory is in effect between noon and 8 pm for spots west of I-39. The highlighted areas under the advisory are more likely to see the heat index above 105°. That level of heat can become dangerous quickly if you are not careful. If you feel faint or dizzy with a rapid pulse, get indoors and cool off as quickly as possible.

Heading into Saturday evening, another round of strong to severe storms looks possible.

These storms get their start in west-central Wisconsin. If you are traveling or have plans in that area of the Midwest this weekend, pay close attention to the weather and have multiple ways of getting weather alerts! There may be numerous severe storms including very strong wind gusts and tornadoes.

Those storms approach the Stateline and northern Illinois after 7 pm. While they may be weakening, they still may brush southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois with damaging winds and heavy rainfall. Have a severe weather plan for the evening just in case.

Showers and storms may linger through Saturday night and early Sunday morning after the initial strong-to-severe round. Beyond that, we get out of the hot and stormy pattern for a while.

Sunday cools to the low 80s, with the weather turning sunny. Monday and Tuesday stick with those conditions. 

We may see another rain chance on Wednesday, with the temperatures not changing much.

After Wednesday, we may briefly dip into the 70s as warm and comfortable summer weather settles in for a long stretch.

Have a news tip? Email us at news@wrex.com. 

Alex Kirchner is the Chief Meteorologist at 13 WREX. Alex is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, and his work at WREX earned him a Best TV Weathercaster award from the Illinois Broadcasters Association, a regional Murrow award and 2 regional Emmy awards.

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