By Meteorologist Tom Skilling
Temperatures head for the mid 80s over much of the Chicago area Thursday, making it 2011's 70th day at or above 80. The 140-year average for 80s by August 18 is just 51, which puts this year's tally 37 percent ahead of average.
It's far from typical for there to have been so many 80s by now, though last year had 76 on the books. Of all the years since 1871, a veritable handful---just 12 years--- have registered more 80s by this date.
Despite moderate late summer season temperatures here, much of the country continues to broil!
Residents of Chicago and much of the central and upper Midwest are enjoying some of the country's most comfortable weather. That's in stark contrast to the Southern Plains where heat is again tightening its grip. Heat advisories and excessive heat watches were re-issued Wednesday for sections of 7 states, from Oklahoma and Texas to Arkansas and Louisiana, as a new round of extreme heat takes hold. Much of that area will bake with readings from the mid 90s to 106-degrees Friday, generating heat indices topping the danger-benchmark of 105-degrees.
The heat's been accompanied by dry weather. Never in the 12 years since the Drought Monitor, the country's benchmark report on drought severity produced by NOAA and USDA, has such a huge an area of the Lower 48--almost 12 percent of it---been in the state of "exceptional" drought.
Texas drought has NO peer in its history; agricultural losses alone at a staggering $5.2-billion and still counting
Researchers at Texas A & M released a report Wednesday detailing the gargantuan---and still growing---losses the drought/heat wave combo has inflicted onTexas agriculture. They estimate the cost at 5.2-billion dollars, the worst ever. It's a figure which eclipses the previous record in Texas of $4.1 billion dollars in 2006.
Handful of thunderstorms hop-scotch the northwest suburbs late Wednesday; fog patches greet some early risers Thursday
Isolated t-storms, a few towering above 30,000 ft., erupted as expected late Wednesday. Reports out of Barrington indicated rain and powerful winds accompanied one of the localized southeast-bound storms.
Cooling of the moderately humid air overnight was expected to produce fog patches , especially in areas away from the warmth of Chicago and Lake Michigan.
Prospects for thundery weekend rains looking far less expansive; weather looking up from Saturday afternoon forward
Concern over potential weather troubles this weekend eased late Wednesday. That's because merging jet streams are predicted overhead, one diving into the region from Canada, and the other sweeping in from California.
Air sinks when jet streams come together. The build-up of mass which occurs aloft as the two wind fields more or less collide, can be impressive. Air begins to sink and dry when that happens, a process which boosts ground-level barometric readings as well.
Our current thinking is Saturday may get off to a cloudy start with several waves of showers and thunderstorms here or nearby. But, clouds are to break in the afternoon and the weather is to become even better as the high pressure settles in later Saturday night and Sunday
All of this appears to suggest rains may be forced out of the area later Saturday and Sunday.
Hints a round of late season heat could be in the offing by mid next-week
Cooling Sunday and Monday should be modest. The rush of warmer air into the area next week may set up some late-season heat. Temperatures are to soar as high as 90-degrees by mid-next week if forecast trends hold.
Temperatures head for the mid 80s over much of the Chicago area Thursday, making it 2011's 70th day at or above 80. The 140-year average for 80s by August 18 is just 51, which puts this year's tally 37 percent ahead of average.
It's far from typical for there to have been so many 80s by now, though last year had 76 on the books. Of all the years since 1871, a veritable handful---just 12 years--- have registered more 80s by this date.
Despite moderate late summer season temperatures here, much of the country continues to broil!
Residents of Chicago and much of the central and upper Midwest are enjoying some of the country's most comfortable weather. That's in stark contrast to the Southern Plains where heat is again tightening its grip. Heat advisories and excessive heat watches were re-issued Wednesday for sections of 7 states, from Oklahoma and Texas to Arkansas and Louisiana, as a new round of extreme heat takes hold. Much of that area will bake with readings from the mid 90s to 106-degrees Friday, generating heat indices topping the danger-benchmark of 105-degrees.
The heat's been accompanied by dry weather. Never in the 12 years since the Drought Monitor, the country's benchmark report on drought severity produced by NOAA and USDA, has such a huge an area of the Lower 48--almost 12 percent of it---been in the state of "exceptional" drought.
Texas drought has NO peer in its history; agricultural losses alone at a staggering $5.2-billion and still counting
Researchers at Texas A & M released a report Wednesday detailing the gargantuan---and still growing---losses the drought/heat wave combo has inflicted onTexas agriculture. They estimate the cost at 5.2-billion dollars, the worst ever. It's a figure which eclipses the previous record in Texas of $4.1 billion dollars in 2006.
Handful of thunderstorms hop-scotch the northwest suburbs late Wednesday; fog patches greet some early risers Thursday
Isolated t-storms, a few towering above 30,000 ft., erupted as expected late Wednesday. Reports out of Barrington indicated rain and powerful winds accompanied one of the localized southeast-bound storms.
Cooling of the moderately humid air overnight was expected to produce fog patches , especially in areas away from the warmth of Chicago and Lake Michigan.
Prospects for thundery weekend rains looking far less expansive; weather looking up from Saturday afternoon forward
Concern over potential weather troubles this weekend eased late Wednesday. That's because merging jet streams are predicted overhead, one diving into the region from Canada, and the other sweeping in from California.
Air sinks when jet streams come together. The build-up of mass which occurs aloft as the two wind fields more or less collide, can be impressive. Air begins to sink and dry when that happens, a process which boosts ground-level barometric readings as well.
Our current thinking is Saturday may get off to a cloudy start with several waves of showers and thunderstorms here or nearby. But, clouds are to break in the afternoon and the weather is to become even better as the high pressure settles in later Saturday night and Sunday
All of this appears to suggest rains may be forced out of the area later Saturday and Sunday.
Hints a round of late season heat could be in the offing by mid next-week
Cooling Sunday and Monday should be modest. The rush of warmer air into the area next week may set up some late-season heat. Temperatures are to soar as high as 90-degrees by mid-next week if forecast trends hold.
