Walk On The Mild Side

We took a walk on the mild side this week as nighttime temperatures dipped into the low 50s and even into the 40s in some places. A few scattered rain showers did manage to develop but rainfall amounts were minimal. Weather models agree that broad high pressure will make itself comfortable & camp out through the better part of next week. Humidity levels will bottom out; even the gloomiest of us will struggle to find something to complain about.

Clear and calm nights will allow some morning fog to develop over the next few mornings. Otherwise, abundant sunshine will allow daytime temps to quickly rebound from any nighttime cooling over the next few days. Daytime highs will peak in the mid to upper 90s each day. High pressure will maintain a strong foothold on much of the east coast until it breaks down Wednesday night/Thursday. At that point a low pressure trough out of the west will finally overtake the high pressure ridging. We’ll see the return of more cloudy skies and a few scattered showers Thursday.

The forecast may become a bit more complex as Tropical Storm Earl looks like it may decide to take a more westerly approach. This would definitely affect the weekend forecast as we could see substantial moisture from the east with that storm. Will keep an eye on Earl and any other weather that may develop between now and game day (WVU vs. Coastal Carolina, Saturday, September 4). For now, let’s just enjoy the summer we have left…

Shawn Householder recently rode a bicycle across the state of Iowa during the annual RAGBRAI. Here's a photo taken near Storm Lake, IA on the second day of his journey!

Feels Like Fall...For Now

Low pressure trough digging in now & giving us all it’s got. The moisture machine that has been churning up much of the east will finally push northeast. A weak cold front will combine with lingering cloud cover and northerly winds to remind us that our fleeting summer is almost gone. But alas, broad high pressure will prevail Thursday, allowin for more sunshine and temps back into the mid to upper 80s till sometime next week.

As we can see, steady cloud cover from the north has been a good temperature moderator. It kept our nighttime temps from dipping below the mid 50s. It also helped to keep daytime temps from reaching above the mid 70s. It will continue to feel like fall outside over the next day or so. Our next weather maker is trekking across the Midwest at the moment. HPC has the cold front arriving around midnight tonight. We can expect temps on the mild side and a few scattered showers until early morning Thursday. Isolated thunderstorms cannot be ruled out either. Rainfall will be minimal. We should pick up less than two-tenths of an inch through the short term.

Conditions will about face by Thursday afternoon. We’ll see a gradual warming trend through the weekend. Look for lots of sunshine and daytime highs in the mid to upper 80s through most of next week.