Monday and Tuesday afternoon the relative humidity values dropped below 35%. That's pretty dry! The reason - a dry atmosphere (lower dew points) and gusty winds. Those winds allowed drier air a couple thousand feet above to mix down to the surface, causing the drop in relative humidity.
The recent dry spell Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin has experienced, combined with the lower relative humidity and gusty winds, helped fuel a grass fire in Cherry Valley earlier Tuesday afternoon. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but outdoor burning was highly discouraged earlier today.
Wednesday, the relative humidity will remain low but the winds won't be as strong. Plus, we'll add in a little more moisture to the atmosphere as dew points rise closer to 60 degrees.
Unfortunately, the dry vegetation won't get much relief from any rain as the chance for that has been pushed back even further in the week.
So, keep the sprinklers going and like Luke Bryan sang 'Rain Is A Good Thing'.
Tyler Sebree is a dear weather colleague and friend that recently join the team at WTVO. I am so honored to follow your blog. Great informative weather for the region. Keep up the honorable work!
ReplyDeleteSincerely, D. Saurer, Cleveland, OH Private Weather Forecaster.