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Baldwin’s Monday Wx Blog for Aug 31

At a Glance

48-Hour Weather

Threats

The threats facing us this week include a locally damaging wind gust with any storm that develops, as well as cloud-to-ground lightning and heavy rainfall that could lead to localized flash flooding.

Baldwin’s Severe Weather Concern

Baldwin’s 7-Day forecast

Daily Forecast

Today: Showers and storms likely, especially in the afternoon/evening. Otherwise mostly cloudy.

Tuesday: Scattered showers and storms, especially in the afternoon/evening hours.

Wednesday – Friday: A chance for showers and storms, mainly in the afternoon/evening. Otherwise, partly cloudy, warm and humid. A cold front on Friday should bring us better weather for the weekend.

Saturday – Sunday: Partly cloudy and pleasant. Just a slight chance for an afternoon/evening shower or storm on Sunday.

Baldwin’s Hay Day Forecast

This week continues to look very unsettled, with better weather expected behind a cold front that will pass through on Friday. Next week may hold our first shot of fall-like temperatures.

Almanac

Yesterday’s National High and Low Temperature

High: 113 at Death Valley, California

Low: 28 at Sunriver, Oregon & Peter Sinks, Utah & Stanley, Idaho

Tropics

The two areas of greatest concern are no threat to the US. The one off the East Coast is moving out to sea, while the one in the Caribbean is moving into Central America. The other two areas of concern out in the Atlantic will need to be watched closely, as they track across the ocean this week.

Today’s Wx Hazards Across the Nation

Heavy rainfall threatens parts of western North Carolina and western Virginia. Another area of both heavy rainfall and severe weather threatens parts of the southern plains and Midsouth. A wildfire danger continues for parts of Nevada and Utah, while wintry precip threatens parts of Idaho, southern Montana, and western Wyoming.

Tomorrow’s Wx Hazards Across the Nation

The main threat tomorrow is that extensive area of heavy rainfall across the southern plains. That stretches into parts of the Lower Mississippi River Valley.

Wednesday’s Wx Hazards Across the Nation

And that heavy rainfall threat remains on Wednesday, even stretching eastward a bit more. A wildfire danger develops across parts of eastern Montana and the western portions of the Dakotas.

On This Day

On this day in 1954 Hurricane Carol swept across eastern New England, killing sixty persons and causing 450 million dollars damage. It was the first of three hurricanes to affect New England that year. 

Long Range Outlook 

Look at all that cooler air coming down for this period of time! This is for the 5th through the 9th of September. Normal highs this time of year are in the lower 80s, with lows in the lower 60s, so anything below that is below normal. I’m anxious to see if future extended outlooks bring that cooler air on south. Rainfall looks to be about normal, to slightly above normal.

Temperature

Precipitation 

Weather Shot

Severe-warned storm north of Dalhart, Texas on Saturday. What an absolutely incredible shot! It looks like a spaceship. Photo by Jake Thompson (@ChaserJake94).

NASA Nerdology

Speeding race car drivers are in the hot seat in more ways than one. Temperatures inside a stock car’s cockpit can soar to an estimated sweltering 160 degrees Fahrenheit. That extreme heat comes through the engine firewall, transmission tunnel, and floor.

Based on materials used to protect the space shuttle from the temperatures experienced as the crafts slammed back into Earth’s atmosphere (and faced temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit), a company created blanket insulation kits to shield race car drivers from excessive heat exposure.

Another byproduct of racing is combustion fumes that can cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Racing engineers adapted a NASA space technology to create a filter that removes 99% of all airborne particles. The filter provides drivers with fresh, clean air.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — Astronaut Andrew Feustel watches other cars on the Daytona International Speedway. Feustel had his turn at riding around the track, taking “hot laps” in an official track vehicle. Feustel is participating in NASCAR’s Preseason Thunder Fan Fest at the speedway, also meeting with fans and the media. Feustel’s appearance celebrates NASA’s 50th anniversary and the speedway’s 50th running of the Daytona 500 in February. The NASA/NASCAR association spans decades. Technology developed for the space program has helped NASCAR drivers increase their performance and stay safe over the years. They wear cooling suits similar to what astronauts wear during a spacewalk. Foam that NASA developed for aircraft seats protects racecar drivers’ necks in crashes. In addition to participating in the fan festival, NASA will fly three Daytona 500 flags aboard an upcoming space shuttle flight. Speedway officials plan to wave one of the flags to begin the 2008 installment of the Daytona 500, while another will be presented to the winning driver. NASA will keep the third. Feustel will fly on the space shuttle mission STS-125 to the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission will extend and improve the observatory’s capabilities through 2013. Launch is targeted for August 2008. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

You all have a great day!

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