The combination of a tropical air mass, a slow-moving surface cold front, and an upper-level disturbance raises the chance for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms in the Mid-Atlantic region. And, as has been the case quite often in recent days, some of the storms can be strong-to-severe and flooding downpours are on the table with a few inches possible in some spots in a short period of time. While flash-flooding is the greatest concern in this scenario, isolated damaging wind gusts are also possible later today associated with “downburst-type” thunderstorm activity. Looking ahead, the next several days are likely to remain very warm, humid, and unsettled with a daily chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Read More
The All-Star break has arrived for big-league baseball which always features a Home Run Derby that’ll take place this evening in Atlanta, Georgia and the All-Star game will be played on Tuesday night. The weather looks quite hot and humid both for tonight’s Home Run Derby and tomorrow’s game and Tuesday can feature scattered showers and thunderstorms in the area. The high heat and humidity expected for this evening in Atlanta should be quite favorable for baseballs to carry so there are likely to be some mammoth shots in Truist Park. Winds will not be much of a factor during the next couple of nights, but a recent detailed analysis confirms the notion that winds can be highly influential in the distance a ball can travel and there were some surprising findings.
Read More
The high temperature later today at the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center in Death Valley National Park, California will be around 120°F and while this is extremely hot, it will be well short of the observation there on this date in 1913. On July 10th, 1913, the weather observer at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley recorded a high temperature of 134°F and one hundred and twelve years later, this is still the highest air temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. In addition to this all-time and worldwide high temperature record, the wild weather year of 1913 produced numerous other extreme events.
Read More
In general, it is much the same story as yesterday in the Mid-Atlantic region as far as the weather is concerned with the chance of late afternoon and early evening strong-to-severe thunderstorms along with possible flooding downpours. One minor difference from yesterday will be perhaps a bit later arrival time for the storms in the I-95 corridor as we’re looking at the late afternoon or early evening hours in many spots. Like yesterday, the ingredients are there for strong-to-severe thunderstorm activity and possible downpours including an upper-level trough, a slow-moving surface frontal system, and a humid air mass. The unsettled weather pattern continues from tomorrow through the upcoming weekend with a daily shot at showers and thunderstorms and much of next week looks unsettled as well.
Read More
The combination of an upper-level trough, a slow-moving surface frontal system, and an extremely humid air mass will result in strong-to-severe thunderstorms later today and early tonight and there can be a repeat performance later tomorrow. Any shower or thunderstorm in this tropical air mass can produce flooding rainfall given the well saturated nature of the grounds in the Mid-Atlantic region. Temperatures today have soared to 90+ degrees all along the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor and the high humidity is making for a very uncomfortable day. The unsettled weather pattern continues from Thursday into Sunday with a daily shot at showers and thunderstorms.
Read More
A very unsettled stretch of weather is in store for the Mid-Atlantic region with a shot of showers and thunderstorms on a daily basis right into the upcoming weekend. The rainfall during the next few days will be enhanced by a tropical air mass that pushed northward this weekend along with the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal. In addition, a slow-moving upper-level trough of low pressure now centered over the Great Lakes will enhance upward motion in the Mid-Atlantic region between now and mid-week. As a result, tropical downpours are possible during each of the next few days which can bring flash-flooding conditions to portions of the Mid-Atlantic region with today’s greatest concern centered around the Chesapeake Bay region. Any thunderstorm from later today into the mid-week can reach strong-to-severe levels with perhaps the highest risk of severe weather coming on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Read More
There were strong-to-severe thunderstorms yesterday afternoon and last night across portions of the Mid-Atlantic region and there can be a repeat performance later today and tonight across an even more widespread area. The combination of an incoming surface cold front, strong and intensifying upper-level support, increasing wind shear, and an entrenched warm and very humid air mass will help to destabilize the atmosphere this afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms should increase in coverage and intensity during the mid-day and early afternoon hours across central and western sections of the Mid-Atlantic and then these storms will trek to the east and likely reach the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor during the mid-to-late afternoon/early evening hours (2-9pm timetable). Some of the storms are likely to reach strong-to-severe levels producing torrential rainfall/flash flooding, and potentially damaging wind gusts. The frontal system will hang up for awhile on Wednesday morning near the east coast and there can be lingering showers and thunderstorms along the immediate I-95 corridor and points from there to the coastal sections of New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula.
Read More
There was a break in the action on Sunday across the northern Mid-Atlantic region, but strong thunderstorms hit many spots across southern sections to close out the last weekend of June. The threat of showers and thunderstorms will become quite high throughout the entire Mid-Atlantic region from later today into tonight, and this threat will continue Tuesday and Tuesday night...both time periods will come with the risk of strong-to-severe thunderstorms. The combination of a stationary front that turns around later today and pushes northward as a warm front, and the approach of a cold front later tomorrow will keep it unsettled around here, and any thunderstorm on either day can produce torrential rainfall and damaging wind gusts. High pressure pushes in for the mid-week and then a weak cold front comes through late Thursday paving the way for a very nice Independence Day holiday on Friday featuring plenty of sunshine in the Mid-Atlantic region, lower humidity levels, and comfortably warm conditions.
Read More
Nowadays, when the people of New Orleans think of devastating hurricanes they think of Katrina, but before 2005, the most notorious storm name in Louisiana was Audrey. Sixty-eight years ago from Friday, Hurricane Audrey slammed into the southwest coast of Louisiana and became the strongest June hurricane and earliest major (category 3) to make landfall in the US. Hurricane Audrey killed hundreds of people – estimated to be somewhere between 400 and 500 - including many of whom to this day remain unidentified and tragically, about one-third of those were children. The high number of deaths - in an era without satellite imagery - were attributed to the storm moving ashore earlier and stronger than predicted while most people were sleeping.
Read More
Today will feature high heat and humidity once again in the Mid-Atlantic region and high temperature records for the date are likely to be set in many locations. There is relief on the way, however, thanks to a back door cool front that will push southwestward from northern New England during the next couple of days. Temperatures will be much reduced in the Mid-Atlantic region by Friday afternoon as an ocean flow of air (east-to-northwest winds) develops following the passage of the back door cool front. The transition from today’s high heat and humidity to the cool down at the end of the week will come with scattered showers and thunderstorms and some of the storms can be strong-to-severe.
Read More
