The 89th Annual Ozark Empire Fair promises to be a hot one

The 89th annual Ozark Empire Fair is set to start later this week on Thursday, July 24th. The fair is known for food, rides, and plenty of Ozarks heat. This should come as no surprise given the yearly timing of the fair coinciding with what is, on average, our hottest time of the year.

Up until this week, summer has sputtered along. Temperatures have struggled to get to 90° thanks to a cloudier and wetter pattern through a lot of the summer so far.

A big shift in the pattern is cranking up the heat and trimming out the rain chances this week. A summer ridge is bullying its way north into the region this week. These ridges act as cloud and rain stiflers and also tend to pump up atmospheric temperatures.

The opening of the fair on Thursday will come with hot and quiet weather. Temperatures that day are likely to soar to the highest levels of the summer so far, topping out at a blistering 96°. "Feels like" temperatures will be around 100°. The heat will be slow to ease that evening, especially over the blacktop, with readings cooling through the 80s through late evening.

Friday promises to be another hot one, but there's a signal for more cloud cover later in the day, and some rain can't be ruled out, although chances look very low right now.

Weekend conditions will remain hot with humidity increasing again. A boundary draped across Missouri will likely contribute to more cloud cover and at least spotty rain chances through the weekend. Temperatures will remain hot with afternoon highs close to the mid-90s both days. "Feels like" temperatures will climb over 100° both afternoons.

The fair will continue through next week with no signal for a letup in the hot pattern through early next week. Rain chances will remain slim with afternoon highs in the 90s, with "feels like" temperatures climbing over 100°.

By the end of next week, as we near the close of the fair, we may see enough of a shift in the pattern for fronts to move in and for rain chances to go up. This should also trim back the heat some.

All in all, a pretty typical fair forecast, and one of the reasons those jugs of root beer are so good! Click here for more information on times, events, and food at the fair.