Chances of rain will unfortunately hover over central and northern Illinois this weekend as communities across the area look for good weather for Fourth of July plans.

On the WHOW Morning Show Wednesday, Ed Shimon at the National Weather Service in Lincoln told the Hart Media Group that rain will definitely be in the upper Midwest, bringing chances of rain to central Illinois Friday through Sunday.

The oppressive heat of the last few days will stick around for another couple of days, with high humidity and very warm temperatures.

Shimon is reminding the public that this prolonged heat takes a cumulative toll on your body, so he is imploring everyone to keep drinking plenty of water. Heat exhaustion will become more common in the next few days. 

June was cool but very wet, and July is looking to potentially turn out the same way. We'll have more with Shimon next week on Regional Radio on the June recap and the July outlook. 

For the latest in weather forecasts, visit weather.gov/Lincoln.