Plan something outdoors as the day in the Philadelphia region is looking dry and considerably less humid than Thursday, making for an ideal summer day to spend time outside. Changes are coming for the weekend as your NEXT Weather team is now tracking the possibility of pop-up showers and storms both Saturday and Sunday.

North Carolina can seek federal funding to help its overloaded response efforts to Tropical Storm Chantal, which killed at least six people and left damage from flooding in its wake, as Gov. Josh Stein announced a state of emergency Thursday.

The total rainfall Saturday shows you spotty quarter inch to half inch amounts, mostly in the southern half of Michigan. There certainly could be small areas up to one inch of rain, but that rain would still happen in just an hour or two. Also notice some areas of northern Michigan are projected to not get any rain at all.

Looking ahead: A ridge of high pressure will begin building early next week, setting the stage for more intense heat by Tuesday and Wednesday, with feels like temperatures potentially reaching 105. Monday will bring the best chance for scattered storms before rain chances become more isolated midweek.

Heat advisories will likely be issued for several days next week with the heat index on Tuesday ranging from 105 to 109 degrees. Heat continues to build by Wednesday with the possibility of Excessive Heat Warnings, especially for West Alabama. The feels like temperature could near 110 degrees for some.

Heavy rain and storms bring a flooding threat to the southern half of the state tonight with more storms in the 7 day forecast.

Clouds build Friday afternoon with perhaps a bigger surge of moisture. This time the showers and storms will move from southwest to northeast, beginning in east Alabama around late morning or midday and continuing through the afternoon. Rain coverage is forecast to be closer to 50%. Highs back into the 90s for pretty much everyone.

Spotty storms are possible in Kansas City on Friday, July 18, with highs in the upper 80s. A heat wave follows this weekend and next week.

The good news is a marked decrease in intensity of the thunderstorms in the past two hours. As of 7:30 p.m. there is only one isolated severe thunderstorm warning in effect over the entire Great Lakes region. The National Weather Service has watched this decline and cancelled the severe thunderstorm watch in effect for this evening.

Parts of Somerset and Middlesex experienced severe flooding during Monday’s storms, necessitating dozens of water rescues in several towns. High temperatures on Wednesday will climb into the upper 80s to low 90s with a heat index in the low to mid 90s.