Summer heat returns for the start of August

 

Following a few rain showers early Thursday morning skies were quick to turn partly cloudy for the remainder of the afternoon and evening with temperatures warming into the upper 70s and low 80s. High pressure sinking down from the northwest Thursday night will help skies clear out, allowing temperatures to drop into the mid and upper 50s. Partly cloudy skies will continue for Friday with high temperatures warming into the low 80s once again. In fact, high pressure remains the rule of thumb straight through the weekend as temperatures gradually climb through the mid and upper 80s Saturday and Sunday.

Hopefully you're able to get out and enjoy the weekend because the heat is set to return as early Monday, but temperatures are expected to rise into the 90s by next Wednesday. A warm front pulling through the region late Sunday night may produce an isolated shower or storm, but residual dry air should keep the storm chance low. The warm front passes Monday bringing temperatures into the upper 80s during the afternoon. Dew point temperatures are also forecast to increase rising back into the 60s, possibly low 70s, causing the humidity to increase as well.

Thunderstorms may be possible late Monday afternoon and evening as a cold front nears from the north/northwest. Building heat and instability, along with a little kink in the jet stream, may be just enough to produce a few gustier storms - something we may need to keep an eye on going into the weekend. High pressure moving to our north Tuesday will shift winds around to the northeast, which may drop some of the humidity during the afternoon but temperatures are still expected to warm into the mid and upper 80s.

A second warm front moving in early Wednesday will pull in quite a bit of heat as temperatures are expected to warm well into the 90s during the afternoon. As of Thursday evening, the forecast high for next Wednesday is 94 degrees. The duration of the heat will depend on the strength of the ridge aloft. It's possible that those 90 degree temperatures could continue straight into next weekend, but the ridge may weaken and sink to the south, especially if several storms form along the outer edge of the ridge helping to flatten it. Either way, temperatures rising back into the 90s next Wednesday are more than likely, with those highs likely lasting into next Thursday.