INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Temperatures will return to above average levels for the next couple of days.

This morning:

A few light, thin cirrus clouds are draped over the southern half of the state this morning. Temperatures are again cool but not quite as crisp as the past couple of mornings.

Wednesday:

Warm air returns to central Indiana for the next couple of days. Humidity will be on the rise for parts of the state later this afternoon, mainly in the southwestern portions of central Indiana. Some high, thin clouds will be draped overhead, but expect mostly sunny skies for much of the area, with highs returning to the mid 80s this afternoon.

Wednesday night:

High pressure remains in control for tonight with a SE wind. Temperatures should be a little more mild overnight with lows into the upper 50s and lower 60s.

Thursday:

The hottest day of the week will be Thursday, with a strong southerly flow bringing in higher dew points across the area. Temperatures will surge into the upper 80s to around 90°. Dew points will be in the lower 60s, making it feel a little more uncomfortable through the afternoon hours.

Next rain chance:

Our lone chance for rain moves in for the end of the week. An upper-level low will move into the Great Lakes area as a surface front will pass through Indiana during the afternoon hours. A very brief, narrow rain band is expected to move along the front into the afternoon and early evening hours. There are not a lot of ingredients for thunderstorms, so this should mainly be a light rain event. Rain should clear the area by the late evening hours on Friday.

Fall feels this weekend:

Much cooler air settles in to start off the weekend on Saturday; high temperatures will struggle to make it out of the 60s across much of central Indiana. In addition, breezy winds with gusts up to 25 mph may make it feel a little more raw during the day. Overnight lows will then dip down into the mid-40s across much of central Indiana on Saturday night.

We should be a bit warmer to wrap up the weekend on Sunday but still well below average with highs into the mid 70s.

Extended forecast:

Quiet weather pattern to open up a new work week with warming temperatures. Highs looked to return to around 80 on Monday and into the middle 80s for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

Is a drought building?

Very little in the way of rain chances, not only over the next seven days but over the next couple of weeks, where strong signals are advertising below-average precipitation. This isn’t good news for much of the area, as an ongoing drought appears to be building. The latest drought monitor from last week already has parts of the states as considered abnormally dry. And as of now, for the last 30 days, much of the state is running at least a small deficit in terms of rainfall.