A massive heat trend in the west is setting the midwest up for a warmer than normal summer.

Ed Shimon at the National Weather Service in Lincoln indicates short-term shifts in the Pacific Northwest can push the heat in the west over the Midwest for three to four days and there could be plenty of notice on those shifts so he says to be on the lookout.

While the central Illinois portion of the Midwest is trending dry, it is not going to be nearly as dry as the upper Midwest. Shimon expects things to be very dry the farther west you go.

As we get to the fall, there are currently equal chances of above and below normal temperatures and the same for precipitation.