Updates 8/10

9:20PM: Dew points are still high in Arkansas… but not as high as they’ve been! They are even in the 60s in the Ozarks tonight. This likely has something to do with the outflow from storms to the northwest, because dew points aren’t that low elsewhere.

11:01: This is pretty much what an August 10th severe weather outlook is supposed to look like. Nothing particularly noteworthy, save for the expanse that the storm activity is covering.

Updates 8/9

8:54PM: This is from the NWS – Wilmington, OH. A lot of our past few posts have focused on humidity, and, well….

9:33PM: Look at these monster cells surrounding Goodland, Kansas. Big hail is the big concern.

1159PM: Those storms noted in the prior update are along a boundary best illustrated by the dew points. It’s still in the 70s across our prior forecast region of Pine Bluff, and it is in the 50s to the north of this thunderstorm activity. I think if there is one complaint about these storms it is that they aren’t moving fast enough.

Succumbing to the storms

The end of July and beginning of August was a particularly stormy time for the north central US. It wasn’t all bad though, because it sure wiped out the heat wave that had buffeted the country. In Danville, temperatures on the 30th were near 90. After storms rolled through overnight, the 31st saw a high temperature of only 75. The dew point was still fairly warm, but that’s significantly more comfortable (were it not for the lingering smoke from the Canadian wildfires.) Never fear, summer isn’t over yet, and it is getting hot once again. The Weather Channel never cooled off, and won their third forecast in a row.
Actuals: July 30th, .02″ of rain, High 89, Low 69
July 31st, .29″ of rain, High 75, Low 64

Grade: A-C

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Our forecast today is taking us to central Arkansas. It’s not quite the Ozarks, not quite the Mississippi Valley, it’s Pine Bluff!

At 753PM, CT, Pine Bluff was reporting a temperature of 84 degrees, with dew points in the low 70s. The high dew points were not enough to trigger isolated thunderstorms across the region, with a weak upper ridge nosing into the region, suppressing flow in any direction.
Guidance is fairly consistent about lee troughing emerging as the week draws to an end. If anything, this will mean even more humidity, this time from the Gulf, rather than augmented by the woods of the Ozarks, and at all levels. While precipitation isn’t expected, there is an increased level of clouds by Friday.
Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, high 91, Low 70
Friday – Partly cloudy, High 96, Low 71

TWC: Tomorrow – Sunshine. High 97, Low 71
Friday – Sunshine. High 98, Low 73

AW: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny High 96, Low 70
Friday – Plenty of sunshine High 96. Los 71

NWS: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 96, Low 71
Friday – Sunny and hot,  High 97, Low 71

WB: Tomorrow – Sunny. High 94, Low 75
Friday – Sunny. High 92, Low 73

WN: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, High 96, Low 71
Friday – Mostly sunny, High 97, Low 71

CLI: Tomorrow – Sunny, High 96, Low 71
Friday – Sunny, High 98, Low 72

It looks fairly quiet on radar over Arkansas. Those storms aren’t going to be working north any time soon.

Updates 8/5

10:52PM: This is a very late summer pattern right now, with severe weather most prominent in the northern High Plains, day after day. There is a slight risk 3 of the next four days (including today) that covers some part of the Dakotas. They’ve recently had some dry summers, so it isn’t all bad!

Updates 8/2

10:05PM Not unlike yesterday, there are severe storms, particularly along the front range of the Rockies, and specifically, there are several reports along I-80 in southern Wyoming. This makes sense, as there are observing stations along the highway, and also, there just aren’t that many other people in Wyoming.

Updates 8/1

7:35PM – It’s definitely a late summer pattern out there. The jet pattern is non-existent which leaves the most constant boundary the dry line. Sure enough, there is at least a marginal risk in the High Plains every day from today through the weekend, and probably to start the week ahead.

9:37PM – There has been a tornado watch in the Colorado/Nebraska/Wyoming tri-state. High Plains tornadoes are typically photogenic, visible for miles, and isolated from human populations. No tornadoes have been observed tonight, but there has been 2.5 inch hail around Cheyenne. Hope you have a hail deductible, chasers!

Updates 7/30

11:49PM – I’m happy to say I should get through this update without a power outage, however I will note that every night for the last several, there has been rain along the Minnesota and Iowa border. As you might expect, there are river flood watches and warnings across the state of Iowa.