Showers and storms are the only relief

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We are a nation divided. Any watch of the news will tell you that, but also, we are divided climatologically right now. Its hot and dry west of the Mississippi, and it’s been tolerable but west to the East. Such was the case in Bloomington, Indiana at the beginning of last week, when temperatures were allowed to remain in the 80s, and on Monday, the ground soaked up half an inch of rain. Surely, half the country would appreciate the wealth being shared. Victoria-Weather stepped up and earned the top forecast.
Actuals: Sunday – High 87, Low 67
Monday – .53″ of rain, High 82, Low 69

Grade A-C

Dog Days in Muscle Shoals

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It was a slow start to the summer in the southern US, with temperatures that were actually fairly comfortable. It couldn’t last, of course. It never does, and in Florence and the rest of northern Alabama, it was a taste of what residents usually come to expect in August. Temperatures were in the 90s by Monday afternoon, with dew points well into the 70s. It was a steam room just being outside on Sunday and Monday in Florence. Granted, it’s a couple degrees warmer than normal, but it’s also not as far out of the ordinary as the cooler start was. Weatherbug had the top forecast for the period.
Actuals: Sunday – High 89, Low 70
Monday – High 94, Low 74

Grade: B-C

Hazy hills

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It’s been a summer of low air quality in the Boulder area, and this past weekend was no exception. The heat, however, was not as oppressive as it’s been, or certainly can be in the Front Range, which is a blessing to be sure. Forecasts that tended to the cool side of the mark did best, which typically leads to a win for Weatherbug, as it did this time around. Sunday was a warmer day than Saturday, by 10 degrees after it was surprisingly comfortable to begin the weekend. Still, 91 in the mountains is better than it could be. If only it didn’t smell like a campfire.
Actuals: Saturday – High 81, Low 63
Sunday – High 91, Low 61

Grade: A-C

Cool mountain air

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I admit that perhaps I don’t have a full comprehension of what Cleveland, Tennessee is like, but it seems as though many of our forecasting counterparts are in the same boat. Temperatures overnight, even in the dog days of summer, sure get comfortable! Low temperatures, closer to – and on Thursday lower than – 60 were well off the forecast mark. Showers and storms never reached the region, further bewildering many outlets. Two of the dry forecasters were at the top of the table, with Victoria-Weather following Forecast.io for the win.
Actuals: Thursday, High 91, Low 58
Friday – High 89, Low 60

Grade: C-D

Backwards

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I wrote the forecast for Fayetteville before I wrote the post about cold fronts failing to take hold in the center of the country. That should tell you something about how this forecast went. Sure, there was a weak boundary sinking through the area earlier this week, but I thought it would bring a bit of northerly flow and some more comfortable air to northwest Arkansas. Instead, temperatures went up by a couple of degrees as the temperatures simply reflected the amount of rain that was seen in the day. A heavy AM thunderstorm on Sunday helped temperatures stay below 90, while they climbed over that mark on Monday, a drier day. The top forecast was split between Accuweather and the Weather Service.
Actuals: Sunday – .28″ of rain in thunderstorms, High 89, Low 73
Monday – .03″ of rain, High 92, Low 72

Grade: A-C

A slow start, but warming up

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Last week, Texas was still wrapping up a surprisingly cool start to summer. It was hot everywhere in the country, except in the southeast, and when we looked at Laredo, another round of onshore showers and thunderstorms was just wrapping up for the far southern part of the state. Most outlets had thunderstorms in the forecast for last Thursday, but they never materialized. Nevertheless, it was still cloudy enough that temperatures stayed below 100 one last day. It’s been a scorcher ever since, however. Accuweather had the best forecast for the last gasp of tolerable weather for south Texas.
Actuals: Thursday, July 22nd – High 93, Low 75
Friday – High 101, Low 76

Grade: A-B

Not enough

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As everyone is likely aware, the western US is embroiled in a drought. The seasonal monsoon is helping in some spots, but at the beginning of the monsoon wasn’t able to bring a whole lot of rain to Prescott, among the many locales that is in a deficit right now. If there was any good news, I guess it was that the heat wasn’t as overbearing as it can be in the southwest. The Weather Service and Weathernation conspired to tie for the top forecast.
Actuals: Monday – High 93, Low 66
Tuesday – Rain reported, not measured, High 91, Low 73

Grade: C

An Oasis

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It’s been a very hot summer so far out west and in the northern US. The Great Lakes haven’t been spared, but Saginaw did catch a break as June turned to July. There was a little bit of rain on the last day of June, with temperatures in the 80s, and it got even cooler on July 1st, without any rain. That’s outdoors weather! Forecast.io claimed a victory, going dry on the 1st, and getting the best temperature numbers overall.
Actuals: Wednesday, June 30th, Rain reported, not measured, High 83, Low 72
Thursday, July 1st, High 73, Low 58

Grade: B-C

Thunder in the Ozarks

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Something as a swan song to the persistent trough that had been bringing showers and thunderstorms to the middle of the country, Fayetteville reported showers and thunderstorms on both Sunday and Monday. The wet weather was not nearly as significant as it had been, and it didn’t even show up on Tuesday. The benefit was that temperatures were comfortable in the 80s, and that the forecast was skillful. The Weather Channel, Weather Service and Weathernation all tied at the top spot.
Actuals: Sunday – .15 inches of rain, High 84, Low 70
Monday – .01 inches of rain, High 85, Low 69

Grade: A-B

No dent in the drought

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There has been a persistent drought across the west. It’s been tough this year, but it’s been ongoing for years now. The northern end of the San Joaquin Valley is no exception. Our forecast for Sacramento came before the blistering heat that is coming to the Northwest, and temperatures were relatively comfortable, only reaching the upper 80s for the weekend of our forecast, but as has been typical: no rain. Weatherbug claimed the top forecast, continuing a trend of success for that outlet.
Actuals: June 12th, High 88, Low 59
June 13th, High 87, Low 61

Grade: A-B