Hazy days

We are getting ready for a heat wave in the southern US, we can reflect on last month, when things were just downright smoky. All manner of the US experienced the smoky weather, from the Northern Plains all the way to the East Coast. We put together a forecast for Kalamazoo towards the end of the month, and indeed, it got smoky there as well. It was so smoky, and in conjunction with an inactive cold front that passed through, temperatures were only in the low 70s on Tuesday the 27th, but rebounded uncomfortably th Wednesday after. Weathernation collected their first solo victory of the year thanks to a solid forecast.
Actuals: Tuesday, June 27th, High 73, Low 59
Wednesday, June 28th, High 82, Low 53

Grade: A-C

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Our trek today takes us to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and certainly one of the more enjoyably named cities in the country.

At 453PM, ET, Kalamazoo was reporting a temperature of 65 degrees with overcast skies. A sharp trough directed from the Great Lakes to the Mid Atlantic has brought severe weather to the Ohio Valley yesterday, but is now providing intermittent shower activity across Lower Michigan. At this juncture, most of the rain is east of a line from Big Rapids and Marshall, with lighter activity in the western stretch of the state.
The low is continuing eastward, but is occluded similar to a more winter or springlike feature, leading to a lag in the shower activity over Michigan. A chance will linger in Michigan until about lunch time tomorrow, but high pressure and a narrow ridge are building behind the feature. Temperatures will bounce back after this chilly start. The jet will begin to break down, weakening from it’s current state, and as a result, humidity and clouds are going to remain in the forecast.
Tomorrow – Cloudy with some light showers in the morning, Clearing late, High 78, Low 57
Wednesday – Partly cloudy and warmer, High 83, Low 54

TWC: Tomorrow – Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 77, Low 60
Wednesday – Partly cloudy. High 84, Low 53

AW: Tomorrow – Cloudy and warmer with a passing shower; smoke from distant wildfires can cause poor air quality High 77, Low 60
Wednesday – Mostly sunny, pleasant and warmer High 85, Low 56

NWS: Tomorrow – A 30 percent chance of showers before 8am. Widespread haze before noon, then widespread haze after 2pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny High 77, low 59
Wednesday – Sunny, High 84, Low 53

WB: Tomorrow – Cloudy with a chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms High 78, Low 60
Wednesday – Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain showers until midday, High 83, Low 54

WN: Tomorrow – Hazy, High 77, Low 59
Wednesday – Hazy, High 83, Low 53

CLI: Tomorrow – Overcast (Light rain), High 81, Low 57
Wednesday – Sunny, High 84, Low 54

Radar is deceptively inactive. Don’t be surprised in Western Michigan by random little spritzes of rain this evening.

Calm in Kalamazoo

In the midst of a cool start to May, there were certainly some dry days which the sun even peeked out across the north central US. Kalamazoo had such a pair of days at the beginning of last week, but under a cooler regime only managed to reach the mid 50s for highs. There was a near consensus on the forecast, and it was a pretty accurate assessment. In the end, The Weather Channel and Weatherbug emerged with slightly better forecasts than all the rest.
Actuals: Monday, May 10th, High 54, Low 36
Tuesday, May 11th, High 55, Low 32

Grade: A-B

Lebanon, Pennsylvania to Kalamazoo, Michigan

It seems like these two towns are far apart, at least in my brain, and I suppose they are. It’s a 603 mile drive, lasting for one long day. We’ll set a pace of 64.2mph, thanked, in no doubt, by the fast drivers of Michigan.

Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Low pressure is still spinning over the St. Lawrence Seaway, and it doesn’t look like it will be motivated to move before we are ready to travel tomorrow. Fortunately, isn’t going to be rich with moisture, and we will be in the car, able to avoid the cooler air the low pressure brings in. Some of the flow coming off the lakes could lead to some clouds and fog on the western faces of the Appalachians of central and western Pennsylvania. Mostly cloudy skies will continue through Ohio and Michigan, but they won’t scrape the surface like they could in Pennsylvania. Kalamazoo will be cloudy and seasonably cool tomorrow evening, but a turn around is around the corner.

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Kalamazoo, Michigan

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Mother’s Day. I know I did, seeing my mom, and watching my wife spend time with our kids is everything I could ask for.

At 1153PM, ET, Kalamazoo was reporting clear skies and a temperature of 44 degrees. The Great Lakes were tucked behind an area of low pressure moving into the Mid-Atlantic. While the north winds were certainly bringing in chillier air, they also provided the clear skies across lower Michigan. The combination of the two is leading to frost and freeze warnings and advisories statewide.
High pressure will build through the next couple of days. The temperature will gradually rise thanks to the spring sunshine, even without a real influx of a new airmass.
Tomorrow – Partly cloudy, High 56, Low 36
Tuesday – Sunny, High 58, Low 32

TWC: Tomorrow – Intervals of clouds and sunshine High 56, Low 35
Tuesday – Sunshine and some clouds High 55, Low 33

AW: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny and cool High 54, Low 31
Tuesday – Mostly sunny and cool High 53, Low 31

NWS: Tomorrow – Patchy frost before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny High 54, Low 33
Tuesday – Areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, sunny High 54, Low 31

WB: Tomorrow – Mostly sunny, Patchy frost until midday, High 53, Low 36
Tuesday – Sunny. Areas of frost until midday. High 53, Low 33

WN: Tomorrow – Partly cloudy with patchy frost, High 54, Low 33
Tuesday – Partly cloudy with areas of frost, High 54, Low 31

FIO: Tomorrow – Partly cloudy throughout the day. High 56, Low 34
Tuesday – Clear throughout the day. High 55, Low 31

The nasty weather has shifted southeast but a lot of clear skies over the Great Lakes.