SUMMARY
First of all, you may notice a subtle change to the outlook above. Starting today, I will add rain chances above the time of day on the outlook above. For instance, on Wednesday there is a 10% chance of a shower or storm in the morning.
We have some very pleasant weather ahead of us for the next couple of days. Temperatures will be near 80 and humidity levels will be really low. It is the perfect weather for cutting hay, mowing the yard, or doing anything outside!
As I mentioned in that first paragraph, there is an itty bitty chance of a shower or storm on Wednesday, as a very weak cool front moves in. Most all of us will stay dry, but there will likely be a very isolated shower or storm somewhere on the plateau at some point on Wednesday. Only the unluckiest farmer will find this shower or storm on the field he has just cut for hay (so stay tuned to find out who that is! ha).
By Thursday, we’re back to all sunshine and continued low humidity. The weather is looking really good for our TAP picnic!
By the way, how nice is it to see all that sun on the outlook? It’s about time we got a break, right?
Then, humidity starts coming back on Friday and that will lead to an increase risk for a shower or storm. Most of us will probably stay dry but some will see a shower or storm.
Looking ahead to the weekend, it looks like rain chances will continue to increase. As we may find ourselves on the eastern edge of a big high pressure that will be building out west, over the Plains. This time of year we have to keep an eye on this scenario because it can bring complexes of storms from the Midwest down into our neck of the woods. I’ll keep an eye on that.
DISCUSSION
A quiet weather pattern is just what we’ve been needing after all the storms we had last week. That low humidity will be nicer than anything. I think a lot of people were getting tired of that humid airmass left behind by Alberto.
Speaking of tropical things, all is quiet in the tropics and looks to be quiet for the next week to ten days. So, if you or anyone you know has beach plans this week, all is looking great.
The only two chances for rain this week will come on Wednesday and Friday, though Wednesday’s chance is so super slim. However, like I said in the summary, someone will end up under a shower or storm that day. On Friday, showers and storms will have more coverage, though most of us will still stay dry. Basically, most of us will stay dry all this week. By next weekend, however, that will flip around and I think most of us will see some rain before the weekend is over.
There’s nothing much in the records for our area, but there is an interesting tornado story out of Iowa for today. On this day in 1860, a very powerful tornado cut across Iowa’s farmlands. To this day, we say that the Tri-state tornado of 1925 is the longest tracked tornado ever recorded (235 miles/7 hour lifespan), but this Iowa tornado may have surpassed that during it’s 6-hour lifespan. The fact that a storm can produce tornadoes or a single tornado over a six-hour period of time is remarkable in itself. Unfortunately, in 1860 people were few and far between in Iowa and you can only imagine how rare an accurate meteorological instrument would have been!
Nevertheless, we feel very comfortable in labeling this as Iowa’s longest-tracked tornado and we give this tornado an F-5 rating. This can be done by reading eye-witness accounts of the damage.
Early settlers encountering this storm didn’t have a chance. In one instance, a family was moving westward when their covered wagon was caught up in the storm. The tornado killed everyone in the family except for one little girl. The family was traveling with $7,000 in gold coins, no doubt to start their new life with. Only $3,000 worth of the coins were ever recovered. The rest lie plowed beneath the Iowa farmland. This is known as the Legend of Low Moor and farmers still keep an eye out for one of those lost coins.
Thankfully, we don’t have any severe weather to worry about today or anytime soon. In fact, most of the country is free of the threat of severe weather for at least the first half of this week. The first week of June is starting off calm. Let’s hope it stays this way a while!
You all have a great day and get outside every chance you get!
Great post, Mark !!! It was beautiful here this weekend. Bright Blue skies, low humidity and 70’s. The week looks good here too, stormy towards the end of the week into the weekend. Like the story about the gold coins, interesting.
Thank you! I thought that was interesting, too. Makes me want to go dig for coins! ha