Friday, May 7, 2010

Appalachian Sunshine

Steady southerly air flow from the Gulf has enabled widespread above normal temperatures for the eastern U.S. Folks in the mountain state made sure to enjoy their share of the Appalachian sunshine. Meanwhile in the Midwest, a strong cold front tracked eastward through IL, MI & OH today. A few thunderstorms produced heavy rain and strong winds mainly around the Great Lakes. The Strom Prediction Center has issued a hazardous weather outlook for our area through tonight. There's a slight chance that the storm could produce heavy rain and damaging winds with 30+ mph gusts through Saturday morning.

Naturally, look for increasing clouds this evening as wind speeds gradually pick up through tonight. As mentioned above, we could get clipped with a few rain showers/isolated thunderstorms tonight. Temps hold steady in the mid 50s tonight. Rest easy, high pressure will swoop in and muscle any lingering moisture off the Atlantic coast by midday Saturday. Expect strong winds to continue during this period as things struggle to settle down in the upper atmosphere. Conditions perk up pretty nicely for the remainder of the weekend. We will however notice temps turning towards the cooler side once again.

(Purple mass represents dry air bulldozing the wet stuff off the grid & onto the coast)

Temperatures Sunday night may turn cold enough to warrant a frost advisory, however I’m thinking that most places will see temps hold just above freezing until Monday morning. We’ll see daytime temps in the mid 60s for the first part of next week. Chance of rain returns with a warm front late Tuesday night/Wednesday. Air flow turns SW again bringing warmer air by midweek.