Summer is fleeting
Posted by Ryan
Tuesday in Hagerstown couldn't have been nicer. It was 80 degrees with clear skies, birds were singing and children were playing in the park. Then Wednesday happened. Almost a half an inch of drizzle fell through the day, and the temperatures stayed in the 60s all day. Rather unpleasant, and the bipolar weather did a number on our forecasts as well. Except the Weather Channel, who must have insight into mental disorders, because their forecast was a revelation, and they were 12 degrees better than the next forecaster, Accuweather. Well played, Atlanta.
Actuals: Tuesday - High 80, Low 56
Wednesday - .45 inches of rain, High 69, Low 60
Grade: A (for the Weather Channel, C's and D's for the rest of us)
Hagerstown, Maryland to Corvallis, Oregon
Posted by Ryan
A long distance drive today, likely to take us into a short 6th day. It will cover 2753 miles, and after a slow start through some hill country, we will eventually speed up. Our average pace will be 64.9mph, fairly slow for a cross country trek. We'll cover about 519 miles a day at that pace, which, frankly, isn't a whole lot. We have some driving to do, so lets get to it!
DAY ONE
Well, we couldn't have timed our departure better. A system will move into Hagerstown by the time we leage, with a warm front angled from Hagerstown northwest towards Pittsburgh, which is essentially our route to start the day. By afternoon, the heaviest slug of rain will be up towards Cleveland, also part of our route. Rain will clear out by the time we are south of Sandusky, and we will be in dry weather for the rest of the day, which will end in Elkhart, Indiana. Our route will take us just south of Milbury, Ohio, the suburb of Toledo devastated by an EF4 tornado over the weekend.
DAY TWO
Our day will begin quietly, and we can traverse the rest of Indiana and Illinois in peace (aside from any traffic in our neighborhood) though as we slip on out of the Quad Cities, the threat for some showers and isolated thunderstorms will pick up. A developing system in the High Plains will be the culprit, and any rain we see will be the result of hot humid air streaming north. That means it could be torrential at times, but won't likely be associated with anything severe. Our day will end in Walnut, Iowa, which is about 45 miles from the Nebraska border.
DAY THREE
Most of the rain, at this point, looks like it is going to stay north of I-80 in Nebraska. Expect a lot of driving in Nebraska, by the way. There is a chance we could see some rain before we reach the Panhandle, but the way things have trended lately, it seems much more likely that we will be dry and fairly warm from Walnut to Ogallala, Nebraska. Some rain and a cooler wind will then kick in, ending our party. The day will end in Burns, Wyoming, just after we cross the border from Nebraska.
DAY FOUR
This will likely be the rainiest day of our drive. A distinctly summerlike wave will get hung up over the Upper Midwest and trail back into Wyoming, stalled and bleary. We'll see our heaviest rain as we pass through the highest elevations of the state. Frankly, we'll hope to be out ASAP,, given the way things look. Utah will be better, but now much. We'll again be driving through the peaks and valleys of that state, and contend with some remnant showers into the Panhandle there. The day ends right up along the Idaho border, in Blue Creek.
DAY FIVE
We'll experience some showers to begin our Sunday. We should get out of it by the time we reach the Rupert, Idaho area, and then finally be in the sun. I can't foresee any rain for our Sunday afternoon. The day will take us through the rural parts of Oregon, and the day will end in the remote town of Millican, right in the middle of the state.
DAY SIX
With that many words expended thus far, I think we deserve a nice finish to day. We'll get to enjoy the Cascades in all their sunny glory. Don't worry about any weather problems as we finally close in on Corvallis.
Hagerstown, Maryland
Posted by Ryan
We're headed to western Maryland for today's forecast, which will likely be less interesting than what they saw yesterday.
At 1153 AM, ET, Hagerstown was reporting mostly cloudy skies with a temperature of 66 degrees. The East Coast is now dominated by high pressure after yesterday's strong cold front pushed through. The next system is still lingering off in the High Plains, prepared for any amplification by any perturbation in an otherwise laminar flow aloft.
A very short wave will appear on the jet by tomorrow afternoon, allowing the system to develop over the Mid-Mississippi Valley. It will march across the Ohio Valley towards Hagerstown and likely arrive Wednesday morning, mostly with stratiform rain, but with some thunderstorms embedded.
Tomorrow - Sunny, High 75, Low 51
Wednesday - Rain beginning early, with some thunderstorms in the afternoon, High 65, Low 54
TWC: Tomorrow - Sunshine and some clouds. High 80, Low 58
Wednesday - Showers possible. High 68, Low 61
AW: Tomorrow - Sunny to partly cloudy and pleasant with low humidity High 74, Low 52
Wednesday - Cooler with rain and a thunderstorm High 66, Low 57
NWS: Tomorrow - Mostly sunny High 75, Low 51
Wednesday - A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 8am and 2pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 2pm. Cloudy High 68, Low 53
WB: Tomorrow - Mostly sunny High 75, Low 51
Wednesday - Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the morning...then showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. High 68, Low 53
Those late showers are really going to mess with the afternoon temperatures on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see what happens.
