Yesterday was warm and today will be hot. The just about sums it all up! Not what anyone out there in our region wants to hear.
Temperatures will be on the rise both today and tomorrow. High temperatures in our region will be in the middle 90s today and the upper 90s to near 100 degrees tomorrow. The same will be true for Wednesday into Friday - 90s across the region. A few clouds may help temper the heat late in the week - along with a slight chance for thunderstorms.
The NWS out of Paducah, Kentucky has issued an excessive heat watch which could be upgraded to a warning. You can read more about that here.
As always take precautions if you have to work out in the heat. Check on elderly residents who may not be properly using their air conditions or fans. And don't forget about our outdoor friends. It is recommended that you change your pets water once or twice a day.
There will be a frontal system north of our region from the mid-week time period into late week. Although precipitation is not expected to be widespread there could be a few thunderstorms around the northern portion of the region. Any storms that do form could be heavy - as is usually the case during the summer months.
I do not believe the front is going to make it very far south - especially early on (Wednesday into Thursday). This high pressure ridge, that is the cause of our heat wave, is just too strong. Although some of the models have been showing the cold front moving through our region as early as Wednesday - I am not convinced they are correct.
Chances for real precipitation will be hard to find - at least through Wednesday. After that there should be a bit more of a push to the front and by Friday the hope is that the front will be moving into Tennessee.
Again, along and ahead of the front there will likely be some thunderstorms. Some locally heavy rain with any cells that do form. We will need to fine tune when the front will actually push through the region - assuming it doesn't get stuck near the KY/TN border.
Unfortunately the heat is expected to continue into the weekend and perhaps into next week. I know this has been a long summer for everyone. The peak of the heat will likely be today into Wednesday. Then ever so slightly cooler on Thursday and Friday. Hopefully dew points will be lower by the weekend - so even if it is still hot it will at least feel a little better outside.
The high temperature yesterday at the Weather Observatory north of Metropolis, Illinois was 89 degrees. Just shy of 90.
The risk for severe weather over the next 5 days will remain low. Storm Prediction Center's five day outlook. Any storms that form with the frontal system on Thursday or Friday could produce some heavy rain and gusty winds. Will just need to keep an eye on the timing of the frontal passage.
The NHC is closely monitoring a potential tropical depression out in the Atlantic. This system continues to gain strength and is expected to become a tropical depression at any time. If this system does form into a named storm then it would be called Colin.
At this time the tropical system is expected to move west/northwest towards the islands. Long range models take it anywhere from the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast coast or even curving it out to sea. There is quite a bit of debate on the eventual track of the system. We have plenty of time to watch the disturbance as it is still many days away.
Here is a satellite view of the system being monitored. Here are some forecast tracks that computer models are showing for what could become Colin.
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at201004_5day.html#a_topad
More information on the above link
Our friends over at the National Weather Service Office out of Paducah, KY have issued a statement concerning the upcoming heat wave. If you would like to read more then please visit their website - click here.
That is it for today - I will keep an eye on our potential tropical system and the frontal system that will be near our region towards the middle of the week. I wish I had better news - I don't know how many people have been begging for rain and cooler temperatures - too many. It has just been one of those summers.
- Meteorologist Beau Dodson
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