Weather Headlines
–Rain and storms to return for Tuesday and Wednesday
–Strong storms possible Tuesday and Wednesday (small hail the greatest threat)
–More seasonal (though still mild) temps return to end the week
–More rain in time for the weekend
Main threats
Storms on both Tuesday and Wednesday will have the potential to produce small hail. Some of the hail could get to 1″ in diameter, however. One inch hail is the minimum criteria for severe.
Summary
We’ll see lots of clouds today, but we’ll also see some sun. It’s a nice break from yesterday.
Some sprinkles, perhaps a light shower, are possible Monday morning.
The next big system arrives Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing more rain and storms. We shouldn’t see the severe weather threat as great as it was yesterday, but we will likely see some strong to severe storms around the region. The greatest threat would be from storms that produce hail.
Temps return to a more seasonal level to end our week, but it’s not looking as cold as it was earlier. The next big storm system arrives Friday night and Saturday, with more rainfall likely (perhaps even heavy).
As we all know, yesterday was very “touch and go.” Had we been more unstable, there is no doubt in my mind that we would have had tornadoes. Close call, y’all. I thought I’d share the storm reports map with you. Look at all those severe weather reports!
Almanac
Baldwin’s 7-Day forecast
And now, for your Sunday Story!
Firestorm
As we experience winter here in the northern hemisphere, people in the southern hemisphere are experiencing summer. The tilt of the earth is responsible for that.
Unfortunately, this summer is proving to be disastrous for Australia. They are experiencing the hottest and driest summer on record. Those conditions have led to devastating wildfires that are causing scenes reminiscent of an apocalypse.
Scenes of people fleeing their communities have become the norm. Some families have even fled to nearby beaches, hoping to find safety in the water if the fires come closer.
Meanwhile, the sky glows red. In fact, in many instances the sky has turned to night in the middle of the day due to smoke.
The fires have killed both people and wildlife. In fact, hundreds of millions of animals are feared dead, including 30% of the Koala bears in one province alone!
Many are blaming climate change for the situation and warn that those of us in the northern hemisphere may be suffering similar plights in our coming summer. Truth is, there’s simply not enough data to support that claim just yet.
The fires have gotten so intense that in some instances the smoke has billowed into clouds that become thunderstorms. These pyrocumulus clouds are created from the hot air that rises from huge fires. The air rises into the colder atmosphere above and condenses into clouds. As the clouds grow, they can produce rain, but more often than not, they just produce gusty winds and lightning, which ignites new fires.
Once again I find myself thankful to live on our beautiful Cumberland Plateau. We may have some rough weather from time to time but there are many people around the world who would love to trade places with us.
