7:00 AM | **All eyes on soon-to-be Hurricane Michael and the Gulf of Mexico...could reach "major" status before landfall**
Paul Dorian
6-Day DC Forecast
Today
Patchy fog and some drizzle this morning, mainly cloudy this afternoon with a shower or two possible, warm, humid, highs in the lower 80’s
Tonight
Mainly cloudy, mild, slight chance of showers, patchy fog late, lows in the mid-to-upper 60’s
Tuesday
Clouds and patchy fog early then becoming partly sunny, warm, slight chance of PM showers, near 80 degrees for afternoon highs
Tuesday Night
Mainly cloudy, mild, slight chance of showers, upper 60’s for late night lows
Wednesday
Partly sunny, warm, chance of showers, near 80 degrees
Thursday
Mainly cloudy, warm, chance of showers and thunderstorms, some of the rain can be heavy depending on the track of TS Michael, upper 70’s
Friday
Mainly cloudy, breezy, cooler, chance of showers early, mid 60’s
Saturday
Mainly sunny, breezy, cool, low-to-mid 60’s
Discussion
All eyes are now on the tropics now as soon-to-be Hurricane Michael is heading to the open Gulf of Mexico and it could very well reach "major" hurricane status before making landfall at mid-week. The overall upper-level pattern (i.e., very strong ridging centered over SE Canada/NE US) is one that opened the door for tropical activity in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and indeed, this system had its origins last week in the southwestern Caribbean Sea and will now move northward over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Once Michael makes landfall, it is likely to turn from the north to the northeast and should ride up along the Southeast US coastline as it interacts with a frontal system. There is the high potential for heavy rainfall from Michael in places like North and South Carolina – where they certainly don’t need any – and even a chance it’ll impact the Mid-Atlantic region later in the week. It’ll turn colder for awhile behind the passage of this tropical system as some Canadian chill that has been bottled up to our north finally makes its way into the NE US.
Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Perspecta, Inc.
perspectaweather.com