Meteorologist Mark

We couldn’t ask for better weather for the last day of July! And how about this past weekend? We are definitely in a pattern that I think most people agree is very welcome for this time of year (or any time of the year!). Today, the pleasant weather continues, with low humidity and highs around 80. Tonight, we’ll dip back down to near 60.  The nights here lately have been perfect for giving your AC a break and opening the windows and letting some fresh air in. On Tuesday, we’ll be a degree or two warmer than today and the humidity will be slightly higher, but still a very nice day for us. Humidity levels start to really increase by Wednesday and that humidity will stay high through Friday, though high temps will still stay in the lower 80s, so it won’t be anything like the oppressive humidity that we’ve seen before this last front moved in. We do have some strong storms to be concerned about on Friday, which is something the yard salers will have to watch out for. I might also need to mention that we have isolated storm chances Wednesday and Thursday, too, but those will be very isolated. Friday is definitely the wettest day of the week. But, just hold on, because that stormy weather is due to another unseasonably strong cold front that will bring us another absolutely beautiful weekend next weekend! In fact, it should be exactly like this past weekend!

In other news, we now have Tropical Storm Emily in the eastern Gulf of Mexico! The storm has winds of 45 mph and will make landfall near Tampa later this afternoon. The storm is already producing very heavy rainfall for the southern half of the state. I’ve attached a graphic of the current position and expected path of the storm.  We also have another disturbance farther out in the Atlantic that we’ll be watching over the next week at tracks westward.

You all have a wonderful Monday and let me know if you have any questions!

 

We’re still on track for a beautiful weekend! But first, we have to get through the next few days. Today will just be hot and humid. Highs will get to near or right at 90 degrees. We could see an isolated storm but that’s just from the heat and humidity. Thursday will be much of the same, but we will see an increase in showers and storms, especially as we head into the overnight hours. We do have the potential for strong to severe storms both Thursday night and Friday as a strong cold front makes it way through. Friday looks storms, with highs in the 70s.

By Saturday, the front will have cleared the area and we are right on track for highs in the upper 70s! AND the humidity will be really low! That’s about as perfect as it gets for this time of year, folks!

So, be safe in the heat the next couple of days and pay attention to the storms Thursday night and Friday. I’ll be in Charlotte for a trade show but I’ll do my best to keep you updated, especially on my personal blog at https://meteorologistmark.com

 

The models are really starting to come into agreement that the cold front that slips through here on Friday will be strong enough to bring us some nice relief by the weekend! We may not even hit 80 degrees for both Saturday and Sunday! And, the humidity levels will be very low. Overnight lows will dip to near 60. Now that’s some nice relief, folks. Just keep your fingers crossed that the forecast doesn’t change!

But first, we have to get to the weekend, right? Today and tomorrow are going to be very hot and humid. Highs will reach into the upper 80s but it will feel much hotter with that humidity. By Thursday we’ll see more clouds and that should keep us a degree or two cooler, but with stifling humidity who’ll notice? We will see showers and storms becoming likely Thursday and that will persist right into Friday. Since this cold front is so strong for this time of year, we have to be mindful of the possibility of strong to severe storms both Thursday night and Friday. Skies clear by Saturday morning, leading to a great weekend.

We have some interesting weather going on in the Pacific right now. We have hurricane Irwin and Hurricane Hilary. Hilary is expected to become a major hurricane  by tonight. What’s interesting is that Hilary is going to overtake Irwin and absorb him. That’s called the Fugiwara effect. That should take place on Thursday. We’ve seen that happen only twice in the Atlantic but it happens more often in the Pacific, where there tends to be more storms. The circulation of Hilary will wrap Irwin around and they’ll do a bit of a dance around each other before Hilary absorbs poor little Irwin. I’ll leave the political jokes to you all on this situation. I’m just a meteorologist  🙂

 

Whew, I don’t know about you but Saturday was a brutally hot and humid day! Sunday seemed a bit better, especially with the clouds around. Temps this week will be hot, as well, but humidity levels will be a bit lower, especially tomorrow and Tuesday. Humidity is what you have to watch out for this time of year. After all, it’s July so it’s going to be hot. All we can hope for is lower humidity. The slightly lower humidity will hang around through Wednesday, before picking back up on Thursday-Saturday.  We still can’t rule out an isolated storm through Wednesday. Much like last week, a weak front will drop into our area at the end of the week, bringing better chances for showers and t-storms. The best chance for stronger storms looks like Friday. The good news is that, as of now, Sunday looks great! Highs around 80 and really low humidity. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for that forecast to hold true!

You know, even if a storm isn’t severe you still have to watch out for that deadly lightning. I noticed that our weather fact of the day involves a man who was working on his fence near Livingston on this day in 1999. The fence was struck and the current traveled to the farmer, knocking him unconscious. He was given CPR by a neighbor, rushed to a hospital, and survived. He was very lucky! If you’re caught outside try your best to get indoors. Stay away from any electrical appliances and plumbing. If you’re in your car make sure you’re not touching anything metal or electrical. The tires don’t protect you (a very common myth) but the metal sheath around you does. The current is then directed into the ground.  This is the time of year when storms can pop up on a whim. If you hear thunder roar, go indoors.  And if you see dark clouds gathering, go ahead and make your way inside. You may not get to hear the warning of thunder if you’re the first strike!

You all have a great Monday and let me know if you have any weather questions!